Enemies
by Kalenath Shok-Tan
Summary: The Tenno have many enemies. Some are mindless, some are evil, some are cruel. Some are just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or the RIGHT place... This is a fanfiction. I own none of the rights to Warframe.
1. Chapter 1

**Dogfight**

This was intolerable. The Grineer had been pushed back so far, now all of a sudden they were everywhere. It was…

Mitchell D29 hit his thrusters, making his small fighter dodge to the side as a wash of heavy metal slugs passed through where it had just been. He snarled as the Grineer fighter matched his maneuver, it's spray of fire coming dangerously close.

"Match _this_, you Grineer scum!" The Corpus pilot declared as he hit his retros.

His tiny ship was outmassed by the Grineer Grumash class fighter. The Grineer generally went for a 'bigger is better' approach and often that was good. In space in particular, added armor and armaments made a great deal of difference. In atmosphere? Not so much. The heavy Grineer ship flew right on by Mitchell D29's small ship and…

Crack, crack, crack! Mitchell D29 cursed as his shields sparked and damage indicators appeared on his HUD. The Grineer ships made up for their lack of in atmosphere maneuverability by having multiple weapon stations in several positions around the hull. The projectile weapons were not as heavy as the forward battery perhaps, but they were dangerous enough. He snarled again and triggered his neural feeds.

_Missile._

The StarStrike missile was not a big weapon by the standards of space combat. It didn't need to be. Mitchell D29's ship and all of his squadron were not intended to do battle outside of atmosphere. There were other –more specialized- squadrons for that. He didn't need nuclear weapons to ensure a kill at the speeds that his A-789 fighter and the Grumash were travelling. The Grineer gunners, aware of their peril, tried to hit the missile, but it was the pinnacle of Corpus fighter craft technology. The StarStrike easily evaded their fire. The tiny robot that flew the missile was dumb even for a Corpus proxy, but it was smart enough to get close enough to the Grineer ship to detonate. Mitchell D29 smirked as the bright blue flash of the EMP went off and the Grumash's engines flickered and died. Grineer ships generally glided like bricks. It was highly improbable that the Grineer would be able to repair the shorted out systems before colliding with the surface below, but Mitchell D29 had not survived as long as he had as a Corpus pilot by trusting blindly. He followed the Grineer ship down at a respectful distance in case one of the gunners woke up. Then he triggered his neural feeds again.

_Guns__._

The two high intensity plasma cannon mounted under his cockpit flashed. His visor automatically polarized, keeping his vision clear. Not that he really needed it. He was part of his ship. He had been ever since he had finished indoctrination. He would never leave the ship. Not that he wanted to. He was loyal. He was part of the machine that was the Corpus.

The Grumash took both hits amidships and… kept on falling. Michel stifled a snarl. Grineer knew how to build tough ships, no question about that.

_Rapid fire__._

This time, the two plasma cannon fired in an alternating cycle. One pulse every half a second. Each pulse was the equivalent of about a ton of ancient Earth TNT on impact. It took seven pulses before the Grumash shuddered and then broke apart. Disappointed that it didn't explode, Mitchell D29 watched for a moment as Grineer fell from the doomed ship. But then he banked away. Not even Grineer would be able to survive falling from seven thousand meters. Even with the lower gravity of Phobos, all they could do was flail and scream. As he did, the engine section of the enemy ship burst into flames, but he had been hoping for an explosion. Low on fuel? Maybe. He didn't know and really didn't care.

_Target destroyed. _He reported across his neural link. _Orders?_

_Status?_ The impersonal mental feel of the squadron command came back.

_One missile expended. Minor damage to hull._ Mitchell D29 replied instantly. _Combat capacity unimpaired. Orders?_

_Enemy forces approaching position from bearing seventy six._ The command and control replied. _Engage and destroy._

_Acknowledged. _Mitchell D29 turned his ship onto the bearing that had been give and applied thrust. _Query. Enemy numbers?_

_Squadron strength. _The Command and control replied evenly. Mitchell D29 felt a flutter at that. Grineer squadrons were nine ships.

_Reinforcements?_ Mitchell D29 asked. He wouldn't last long against nine enemies alone. He was good, but there were limits. Nine to one was suboptimal. A waste of resources. High command did not care for lives, but they did deplore wasted resources. Mainly the prodigious amounts of credits that went into building, arming and maintaining the fighter.

_En-route._ The command and control replied. _Remainder of squadron will rendezvous._

_Query… _Mitchell D29 asked before he could stop himself._ Casualties?_

_Continue mission, pilot. _With that, the command and control node deactivated.

"Idiot." Mitchell D29 snapped to himself. "You _know_ better."

Higher ups did not like it when their drones, even ones with human additions, started asking questions not mission related. They tended to get…irritated when that happened. And if higher got irritated… well… Mitchell D29 had heard something once that fit. It rolled downhill. Anything that got the higher echelons upset usually had negative consequences for the rank and file, like –say- sending a platoon to charge a base full of Infested alone.

The small fighter sped through the sky of the moon Phobos, every sense the pilot had available fully alert. Since he had been merged with this small craft, he could sense far more than nay puny human could. He barely remembered who he had been before. So… small. So weak. So… limited. Now he could hear solar radiation and taste radio. He could dance through the hurricanes of Jupiter and laugh at the powerful winds that always wracked the gas giant. But his missions almost always centered on places like this. Terraformed worlds with small habitats. His atmospheric fighter was much better _in_ an atmosphere.

"Mitchell D29 , good to see you." The call came just as Mitchell D29 detected three small ships closing from his port side. The voice of Squadron Leader Anne J45 was cool and professional but Mitchell D29 felt his guts lurch. Only three? They had started the fight with seventeen. "Status?"

"Nominal, lead." Mitchell D29 responded. "Two missiles remaining. Full charge on guns." One fifth of his long range capability left. Not so great.

"Damage?" She asked coolly. Not that he expected anything better from the others. The fight had gone on a while.

"Nothing penetrated." Mitchell D29 replied after a quick check of his systems. "Orders?"

"You are the only one with missiles remaining." Anne said quietly and Mitchell D29 swallowed. The fighting had been fierce. "Everyone else has moderate to heavy damage."

"Lead…" Mitchell D29 said and then ordered his ship pharmacopeia to dispense a calming agent. "Orders?" He asked as the calm swept through him. They could do this. They were parts of the machine. Even if they all fell, the machine would continue.

"We will take point, draw their fire." Anne said quietly. She had likely also availed herself of calming agent. Hysterics were pointless and out here likely fatal. Who knew? Some of them might survive this. Doubtful, but possible. "We will try to herd them as close as possible. Hit them with missiles and we will turn and engage any with downed shields."

"Roger that." Mitchell D29 said simply as his screens started to light up. "Incoming."

"We live for the machine." Anne said quietly and three voices answered her.

"We die for the machine." All four of them said as the Grineer detected them and turned to intercept. As reported, nine of the huge Gramash fighters. "Profit numbs the feeling." With that, all four of the Corpus fighters hit their afterburners.

* * *

Mitchell D29 gasped in pain as he turned his battered fighter away from the last doomed Grineer ship. Four to nine and they had done it. They had _done_ it! All of his wingmates had fallen, and his ship was falling apart, but every single Grineer ship was downed. His missiles had been expended early and he only had one working gun left, but it was done!

_Control…_ Mitchell D29 said with a wince. _Mission accomplished. Requesting retrieval and repair._

_Continue mission. _The voice of the command and control unit was clear. Mitchell D29 paused.

_Mission accomplished, control._ Mitchell D29 said, confused. _Enemy squadron destroyed. Three casualties. Remaining ship not combat capable._

_Continue mission. Enemy squadron bearing sixty four from your position. Engage and destroy. _The Control unit paused and then spoke harsher. _Now, pilot._

_A…Acknowledged… _Mitchell D29 managed to say, stammering in his mind. He was being thrown away? There had been rumors that the entire pilot corps was being examined as 'outdated'. But… there were always rumors. Sane people discounted them. _Setting course… sixty four… Request resupply of munitions._ He nearly begged as he eased his quivering ship onto the new course.

_Unavailable. Resupply ship has retreated out of atmosphere along with fleet._ The command and control said calmly. _Grineer counterattack incoming. Hold them._

_Acknowledged, command. _Mitchell D29 said softly. _Profit numbs the feeling. _It…didn't help this time. He cut the neural link and paused as something impossible happened.

"Mitchell D29." The voice was not over the neural link. It was Anne, his squadron leader. But she was dead! Her ship had exploded, no chance of ejecting even if the crappy system actually worked. He had… never seen a Corpus ejections system work as the techs always promised it would. He and the squadron leader had… shared a few good times in between missions before her promotion. He checked and the voice was from a recording. "If you are hearing this, I am dead and you are not. The squadron is being replaced by Raptor drones. The remaining human machine hybrids will be used up in combat." Mitchell D29 slumped, but it wasn't that surprising. "You are the best pilot in the squadron, Mitchell D29. We all knew that. I can't tell you what to do. Our… our masters have abandoned us all. I would like to think it was for a good reason, something to aid the war effort against the Grineer, but it was likely just economics. Cheaper to… Throw lives away than to refit us to some other role. Not that you could have done anything but fly. You are good, Mitchell D29, but a _clerk_ you are not." He could just see her wry grin when he closed his eyes.

"Anne…" Mitchell D29 said softly. "I… I should have taken you up on the offer. Before they promoted you." She had wanted a night with him, he hadn't wanted to harm their friendship. Instead, he had lost it with her promotion. She…hadn't been the same after her promotion. Now he knew why.

"Do not go back to the fleet, Mitchell D29." Anne warned. "They have self-destructs built into the fighters. They are short ranged, but very effective. I… I just… I did love you, Mitchell D29. But after they told me we were being retired… I couldn't say anything. I was under too much scrutiny. We were all supposed to die. If you haven't… then don't. Live, my love. Live for all of us. The Diamondbacks will never die as long as you live."

Taking a squadron name from Earth history hadn't endeared the pilots to high command, but they had proved over and over that esprit de corps made a heck of a force multiplier. The Grineer had nothing to match it. Mitchell D29 felt an overpowering calm descend on him as he saw his screen light up with enemy contacts. Nine Gramash class fighters.

"Nine to one." Mitchell D29 said softly. "Good odds for once." He angled for the surface of Phobos. Head on against nine was suicide, so he had to play this careful. He keyed his com, broadcasting in clear. Grineer would understand his words fine. "Come and get me, you filthy degenerate mutant dogs! Your lines are _weak!_"

As expected, the insult had all of the Gramash fighters accelerating and turning to match his course. He aimed his ship into a canyon and stayed as low to the ground as he could as fire started to chew up the surface below him. Grineer were a lot of things. Big, strong and tough predominated. Smart was not usually on the list. Mitchell D29 smirked as he maneuvered his A-789 _under _a large stone archway and no less than _three_ of the Grineer chasing him plowed into the ground, exploding on impact. He pulled up hard as he ran out of canyon and was in clear sky with nowhere to hide from the other Grineer. Hoping and praying that for once, the lousy tech would work, he turned towards one of the large Grineer fighters. His sole plasma cannon flashed and then he hit the control. He expected it not to work, so was stunned when his seat was rocketed clear of the ship just as it came apart under the fire of the other Grineer ships. He smirked again as two of the Grineer ships collided.

Then he was falling towards the dusty surface. Fragments of his ship were all around him and he watched in amazement as the remaining Grineer ships peeled away and started off. None of them so much as _shot_ at him!

"What the hell?" Mitchell D29 had seen a lot since he had been indoctrinated into the Corpus. But this… Then he looked down. The area where he was angling towards was _moving_. Or lots of things on the surface were moving. It didn't look like Grineer. "Oh…shit…"

Mitchell D29 angled his body, trying to make the wind resistance on his armored space suit work to his advantage. The limited anti-grav system slowed his descent, but no more. It was supposed to allow for a fall of thirty thousand meters, but he knew better than to trust any tech's claims at this point. If he could make it to one of the pinnacles instead of into the large cleared area that he could see was swarming with oddly flat looking forms. Sand skates? He had heard of them and did not relish fighting them. One on one, he might be able to handle if the charge in his Cestra held out. The hundreds he could see? He would be swallowed up whole and never seen again. He was struggling, trying to spread himself out further as he…

Something huge appeared beneath him and he had only a moment to stare at it before he slammed into the white hull. He screamed in pain as something went snap, but then he was skidding across a featureless expanse of odd metal, falling, sliding… He grabbed at anything he could, but his gloved fingers could find no purchase and he slid off, screaming again… to land with a thump on the top of one of the promontories. He lay for a moment, panting. Then he rolled over and stared up at… the Tenno spacecraft.

"What the hell?" Mitchell D29 asked the empty air as the Tenno ship hovered in mid-air. Was it about to drop a Betrayer to find him and end him? Or worse? He had heard stories, like all the Corpus troops, of what the Betrayers did to people they captured. The ship didn't move. Anger rose inside Mitchell D29 and he opened his visor and shouted. "If you are going to kill me, just _do_ it!"

Then… he froze as the small ship slowly turned vertical and an opening appeared on the underside. A small opening, just the right size for a… He skittered back as a warframe appeared in the human shaped hole and then jumped down from the ship to land near him. Mitchell D29 stared at the warframe, he wasn't really up on any of the Betrayer's designs, so he had no idea what kind it was. His Cestra was up, for all the good it would do him. He was no ground fighter. He knew how to shoot of course, but actually _facing_ one of the Tenno? This wasn't anything he was trained for. His fighting had always been ship to ship. The Tenno just looked at him.

"What?" Mitchell D29 demanded. "What do you _want_, Betrayer?" He demanded, his pistol ready. The Tenno slowly bent down and wrote something in the dust at it's feet. It was in the Corpus alphabet.

'Good flying'

Mitchell D29 stared at the writing and then at the Tenno.

"What do you _want_?" He demanded, fear beginning to rise again. The Tenno made an odd gesture, it's right hand came up. Palm down, the hand angled until the very tips of the fingers nearly touched the armored forehead. Something tickled Mitchell D29's memory. That was a salute. It stood there, waiting.

Finally, Mitchell D29 returned the gesture. It felt… oddly right. He jerked as the Tenno stepped backwards. He had been so focused on the Tenno that he hadn't realized that the ship had lowered. The Tenno stepped into the odd alcove on it's ship and then the ship arced away. Silent and faster than thought, before Mitchell D29 could even think of what to say, if anything, it was gone.

"Holy crap." Mitchell D29 sagged as he realized that he wasn't going to die. At least, not from the Tenno. If the Grineer found him, he would likely wind up a greasy splatter on a floor somewhere. He sighed and started pulling pieces of his small survival kit out. He might be here a while, but he wasn't going to give up. He was Corpus. He served the Corpus and it served him, even if they had thrown him away, he was still Corpus.

Wasn't he?

Suddenly… He wasn't as sure of that as he had been when he climbed into the cockpit this morning.


	2. Chapter 2

**Surviving**

It was cold. Mitchell D29 woke up suddenly, certain he was being watched. He looked around, but nothing seemed to have changed on his rocky summit. But he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. He sat up, checking his suit systems automatically. If the suit failed, he was dead. Period. Many places in the solar system had been terra formed to the point of easy survival. Phobos was not one of them. The pain in his left arm had faded and when he checked the readouts, it looked as if the regeneration systems had functioned He hoped so. Having a broken arm on top of everything else would not be good.

_This place sucks._ Mitchell D29 said to himself as he looked around. _Ah, well… For now, it is home._

The basic rules of survival were fairly simple no matter the environment. Shelter, sustenance (in this case food and water supplies in his suit), defense… He paced around the fairly large area atop the pinnacle again and frowned as he stared down. There was no way off this pinnacle. No trail, no climbable areas that he could see, even if he would have been able to grip in his gloves and boots. Not likely. The anti-gravity system built into his suit attachments had fallen apart as soon as he had landed. He had disabled the locator beacons as well. If what Anne had said was true -and he had no reason to disbelieve her posthumous warning- then if the Corpus found him, he was dead. Then again, if the _Grineer_ found him, he was dead. Funny that the _sole_ being who didn't seem to want him dead was one of the feared Tenno.

Tenno. Mitchell D29 could not restrain a shiver as he recalled the utterly alien face that had scrutinized him the day before. He shook his head and pulled out his tiny personal assistant. He had some data on Tenno, but not a lot. Most of it was 'If seen, contact security' and other such useless drek. Why would he need to know how many joules a Volt warframe had been observed putting out? He had no idea. He could not find the type of warframe he had seen in his limited database and put his pad away with a sigh. He was stuck here. The only one who knew where he was… was a vicious ancient killing machine. He shook his head and started to take stock.

It didn't make sense. Tenno were machines. Remnants of the fabled Orokin, they were utterly unpredictable and insanely dangerous. He had lost count of the number of ships he had flown by with his squadron that hadn't had _any_ life signs aboard due to Tenno incursions. Hundreds of lives, snuffed out by ancient relics that refused to stay dead. The good news was that they didn't limit their predations to the Corpus. Grineer and Infested also felt their wrath. He hadn't… until yesterday anyway, ever seen a Tenno. Seen briefings on them? Sure. Especially after the mess Alad V created with his Zanuka project. He had no idea why the higher ups called them 'Betrayers'. It… hadn't ever been germane to his role as a pilot. On a whim, he checked his PA again, but there was no information except that they had been servants of the Orokin. Or slaves? He wasn't sure and the language of the history was… odd. As a pilot he had become adept at reading between the lines of official reports, since the high command didn't usually tell _anyone_ all of the information.

'Situation is now under control' usually mean that Tenno had come and gone, leaving bodies and a big mess in their wake. A 'minor Grineer incursion' was almost always a full scale invasion. A 'little Infestation' meant a hive that would take days and several battalions worth of ground troops to clear. 'Minor casualties'… He shivered. He was one of those 'minor' casualties by now he was sure. Abandoned and forgotten about.

The records that he had on his PA were…incomplete. He could tell that just from looking at them. Reports of atrocities, purportedly committed by Tenno, reports of battles fought against the Sentients. Then… a massacre of the Orokin Emperor and his entourage, again, purported slain by Tenno. But… It was incomplete. There were large chunks of information missing. He could tell just by looking at the history that the words had been edited severely. Once, he would have shrugged, nodded and assumed that high command knew what it was doing. Now? He wasn't so sure.

"I serve the Corpus and the Corpus serves me." Mitchell D29 said as he put his pad away and started working to…

A rumble was his only warning. He hit the dirt and stayed still as something massive overflew his small hideaway. A Grineer Slakat class assault transport. Heavily armored and armored for ground assaults, it could carry up to a platoon of Grineer. If they dropped troops here… He toggled his life support systems to their lowest possible settings, feeling the cold start to seep into his fingers and toes. He didn't jerk as one of the turrets on the ship spun his way and let loose a burst of projectile fire. He didn't move as the badly aimed burst tore up the ground near him. He waited for the gunner to correct his aim. Waited for Grineer to drop from the ship's hatches to either kill him or take him for long torments. But nothing happened. The ship just sat there in midair. Mitchell D29 couldn't feel his fingers or toes now and…

_What the hell?_

Mitchell stared as the Grineer ship suddenly rocked. Sounds came from it. Gunfire, shouts, screams. It slowly arced away from his rocky perch and he stared, wide eyed, as it slammed into another finger of rock and burst into flames. He saw figures jumping from hatches on the doomed ship and even though they were Grineer, he had to wince as he heard them hit the ground far below him. A few, very few started shooting, but the shooting didn't last long. The screams lasted a few moments longer. He stared as the ship –still on fire- aimed for a mountainside and accelerated. Was it his imagination that a tiny form hurtled from the ship just before it slammed into the mountainside and exploded? Had to be. Nothing human or Grineer for sure. Besides, he lost sight of it as soon as the ship exploded. He hadn't even thought to activate his helmet cam.

For a long moment, Mitchell D29 did not move. What the hell had just happened? Some kind of internal Grineer conflict? He had never heard of such a thing. A Tenno could do it, sure. But why? Yes, the Grineer hated the Tenno, but then again, they hated _everybody_. Infested…? He shivered. If Infested had gotten aboard somehow, then yes, it could have happened that way. But if so… He crawled to the edge of the peak and stared down at the cleared area. The ground writhed with agitated sand skates. One lone Grineer body was still visible and even as he watched, it was swallowed up by the mass of alien animals. He jerked back and stiffened as his hands hurt.

"Ow." Mitchell said and keyed his life support back to full. His suit was supposed to be proof even against the vacuum and temperature variations of space. Then again, he had been ejected from a destroyed fighter, fallen several thousand meters, impacted a Tenno spacecraft and then rolled across a rocky summit. No, his suit wasn't at it's best. The main batteries were still at 94 percent charge and he did have solar cells he could deploy to recharge. But…

If he _did_ deploy the solar cells, they were very visible. Heck, the reflections could likely be seen from _orbit_. This wasn't Earth with a huge, thick atmosphere. If he didn't deploy them, he would freeze to death when his batteries ran out of power. He ran some quick calculations and sighed. Without the solar cells he had perhaps a week of life support barring any surprises. And he knew there would be more surprises. He suddenly had the watched feeling again and stared wildly around, but nothing was visible. Nothing at all.

"Jumpy." Mitchell D29 said with a sigh as he sat down. "Okay, best choice is to hide for as long as I can. Lots of exposure up here, but they would have to overfly me like the Grineer did to really see me. And if I dig…"

The surface of the pinnacle's summit was rock, but he could move some of it. He kicked with his boot and a rock flew off to fly towards the clearing below.

"And I _cannot_ do stupid stuff like that." Mitchell D29 chided himself. "So… hide for a while, then find a way off this mountain. Then… I don't know." He said morosely. "I serve the Corpus. I need to find a way for them not to _downsize_ me on sight." It felt slightly better to put it in pure merchant terms, but only slightly. Mitchell D29 wasn't an executive. He and his fellow pilot shad been dealt a slightly better hand than the rank and file, but as it turned out, that hadn't kept them from being used up and then discarded. Anger came and Mitchell D29 welcomed it. "I won't let them downsize me without a fight."

The Corpus pilot started moving rocks, trying to make some kind of windbreak. If he cut down on the power his suit needed to keep him warm, he might be able to extend his stay up atop the pinnacle greatly. If not? Well, it gave him something to do. Even since he could remember, he had been an active person. That was one of the things that had pushed him into flying. At least he could see the stars unaided and unfettered by a thick atmosphere. He had loved to stargaze…

He paused. That thought wasn't… It wasn't familiar. He saw the stars every day through his canopy! Or… he had. Now? He wasn't sure. He had dug a small hole in the rocky soil and lay down in it, staring up at the myriad tiny light that… didn't blink in the sky. It felt… right. It felt… good. Something was missing though. He had no idea what.

Mitchell D29 shook himself and focused on survival. For now, he was safe and secure, if uncomfortable. This peak was not accessible by the sand skates, so unles the Grineer came back he was okay. The Corpus wouldn't, he was sure of that. Not with such a Grineer presence in the area. If he had to get down, he could always jump…

He paused. _Wait a sec… _He looked at the specs for the solar panels and then smiled a bit under his visor. _Lightweight. Rigid on deployment. Able to be deployed in any configuration. Two power cables for redundancy, both with five hundred kilo test strength. Now… Where did I see…?_

Michael D29 pulled his PA from the pocket again and started searching his small database.

_What __**was**__ that ancient term? Parachute? No, no… Not parachute… __**Hang**__ glider…_

Unseen by anyone, he started to smile wider as he looked up something _truly_ ancient. _Un_powered flight.

* * *

She stood on a high peak, watching. She had expected the Corpus to come and get their wayward pilot, but they hadn't. Indeed… Her warframe systems hadn't detected any signals of _any_ kind being broadcast from the lone Corpus survivor of the dogfight she had nearly flown right into. Which made no sense. This guy was good. Nine to one odds and the Corpus ship shot to pieces and he had done incredibly. Three Grineer ships destroyed, crashed into the mountainside, two with collision damage and another with deep scorch marks from a plasma cannon. Impressive.

She was curious. An… oddly familiar feeling. She didn't remember very much. Her cryo-nesia was worse than most Tenno. She hadn't even remembered her own _name_ until the Lotus had told her it was 'Li'. She had woken and thrown herself into the fray. Her brothers and sisters needed her. But right now, she had time. And she _was_ curious.

She had reacted without thought when she had seen the pilot plummeting to a gruesome death. Death was no stranger to Tenno. They saw it every day, but… She couldn't just sit back and watch that pilot fall into the mass of sand skates. She couldn't. Even when she was screaming at herself that she was being an idiot, she had deflected his landing so he landed someplace a bit safer. But then… She had no explanation for _why_ she had confronted the human. None at all. But saluting him had felt right. Showing appreciation for skill, even in an enemy. But… was he?

The pilot wasn't acting like he expected rescue. It was almost as if he was _fortifying_ his mountaintop perch. Not that he could do much. He obviously had nothing heavier than the Cestra pistol he had brandished at her when she had scrutinized him closely. Oh, it would _hurt_ her, no question. But she had been oddly sure that he wasn't going to shoot. There was something about the pilot. Something so familiar that it hurt. But she could not figure out what it was. She wanted to and until she did, no one would harm this Corpus pilot if she had anything to say about it. As the Grineer had found out.

She had taken the Grineer by surprise, dropping into one of their hatches as they had been readying to deploy to kill the pilot. She wasn't sure _why_ she had chosen to attack when the Grineer had strafed the still form on the mountaintop. She _did_ hate the Grineer. But she _also_ hated the Corpus. Was it because the man was obviously a skilled pilot? She knew –better than most anyway- what was involved in flying like a crazy person at extremely low level to attack or evade attacks. There were few things that called to Li as much as high speed flying. It was in her bones and blood. Everything she was, everything she aspired to be –that she remembered- was part and parcel to soaring through the air. Maybe that was it, she decided. The pilot had been a peer of sorts. Maybe not an equal, but a peer. Yes. She mused. She considered him a colleague. No question, he was a dang good pilot. Nine to one and take out three with natural terrain? Too good to be snuffed out casually by the Grineer. That felt right. There wasn't anything familiar about his face even when her warframe's visual enhancement virtually removed the obvious augmentation that lower level Corpus had a lot of. She was sure she didn't _know_ him, so…

_You are needed_. The voice of the Lotus had her jerking from her stance, then looking back at the pilot. But she was more than two kilometers away. If he could see her -and maybe he _could_, who knew what visual enhancements the Corpus gave their pilots?- what could he _do_ about her scrutiny? A Cestra pistol wasn't going to hit a darn thing at the range of two kilometers.

_Mission?_ Li asked quietly.

_The Corpus have landed a foothold._ The Lotus replied. _As appalling as it is, we must aid them or the Grineer will overwhelm them. We need to strike the staging areas of the Grineer who are massing to crush the invasion. I will send you with a strike team to destroy an outpost. Take out the reactor and the facility will either fail or self-destruct. Either way, there will be less Grineer who have expanded significantly since they took Gravidus. _Li nodded reluctantly. That made sense. Besides, she liked killing Grineer. _Do you accept this mission?_

_Understood. Mission accepted. One thing… This oddity is continuing, Lotus. _Li said as she prepared to leave. _It's like the Corpus pilot doesn't _want_ to be rescued._

Which made no sense at all. This place was not conducive to long term survival. Even without the Grineer hunting around. At least the pilot was concealing his position. But… why? She shook herself. Mission first, questions later.

_Odd indeed._ The Lotus agreed. _We will investigate._

_Keep me informed please. _Li asked as she checked her power levels and weapons. Seventy five percent power was more than enough to get her back to her ship. As for weapons? Some might scoff at her choice of a Latron, but she liked it and used it well. It was long ranged, did good damage and was reliable as hell. She had never had a problem with it. The Bolto pistol was for closer engagements and an all-around good weapon. She wasn't generally a melee fighter, although she could, and did occasionally. She wasn't a brawler though. She was all about precision. One cautious strike could usually turn the tide of any battle. The Pangolin Sword wasn't as flashy as some, as damaging as others and didn't have the range of a Glaive or a Kestrel, which was her usual alternate. But it was enough. Enough and more than enough, as the Grineer had discovered to their cost.

With one last look at the distant pilot, Li threw herself from the peak she had been kneeling on and took to the skies. Contrary to some people's beliefs, Zephyr warframes could not fly indefinitely. But they could _undeniably_ fall with style. Enough that it didn't really matter to Li. Not free flying, but close enough. A quick boost from her power supply and her arcing fall became a long glide. Four kilometers to her ship and then a quick flight to her assigned target. One more day in the endless warfare that was life for Tenno. But… Li got to fly. To forget for just a few minutes the blood and death that was her true calling. A fair trade. As she glided, she gave mental voice to something that she remembered. She had no idea from _where_ she remembered it, but the thrill it sent through her as she soared was undeniable.

_Diamondbacks __**forever**__!_


	3. Chapter 3

**The Best Defense**

The Grineer had no warning at all.

Li watched a ten close strong squad of Grineer as they patrolled and smiled under her helmet as her teammates opened fire. She threw herself off the building she had been perched on and stooped towards her prey. As she fell towards the now embattled Grineer, she drew her pistol. The rifle was better for long range work, but very shortly she wasn't going to _be_ at long range. They never looked up. Grineer rarely did. Corpus did more often and Infested were downright _hard_ to attack from the sky. These Grineer? All of them were focused on the trio of Tenno who had taken them under long range fire. A Mag, a Volt and a Trinity, all were pouring accurate and deadly fire onto the Grineer patrol as they advanced. Four Grineer had fallen already. But… They were the diversion. Li saw the commander Grineer and aimed her dive at him. She slammed into the ground just behind him, her warframe absorbing the massive kinetic impact and then throwing the energy out all around her.

Several of the Grineer were tossed off their feet and all were staggered as Li swept to her feet, her Bolto in hand. She put a three round burst into the Grineer commander's skull and even before he fell, she was turning to engage the others. Deadly precise and accurate, her fire was meticulous and she dropped two more Grineer before they even regained their feet. Then she darted for cover. Honor was all well and good, but Li fought to win. The other three Grineer spun to engage her, but her companions were approaching now. Caught out of cover by a crossfire, the Grineer had no chance and fell quickly. Li nodded to her companions and jumped up, her power igniting and tossing her into the sky again. She had taken a few hits, but nothing serious and her warframe was already healing the damage. She lighted on the roof of the Grineer building and waved to her compatriots before starting off for the other side. None of the Grineer had managed to sound the alarm.

She was high cover. Her job was to stay as high as possible and keep an eye on things. If enemies showed up –as the patrol had- she was to take advantage of their distraction to do as much damage as possible quic-

Li had a moment to react as the roof she was running on suddenly burst into flames. She jumped for the sky and snarled as literal fire followed her.

_What the hell? _She asked as she jetted this way and that, using up much of her stored power to evade the attacks. Then she saw it. A Grineer, but… nothing she had seen before. This one was colored differently and he was… He was directing the fire! Making it chase her across the sky! She didn't have the power for her high level attacks, so she dove again. The Grineer laughed as he made the fire encircle her, but his laugh faltered as he realized her course. Straight at him!

Before the new Grineer could react, Li plowed into him, slamming him off his feet and taking him, with her, right over the edge of the building's roof. He started to scream and flail as she tossed him away, coincidentally towards a deep chasm that ran nearby. Grineer armor was strong, but there were limits. His screams faded quickly as Li touched down on a path, her senses alert for more enemies. With no power, she was stuck on the ground unless she could find more. None of her companions had Energy Siphon artifacts equipped.

A crackle of gunfire from nearby told her that her companions had initiated combat again, but she was in no position to assist. She snarled at herself and started for the icons on her HUD. Her senses were razor sharp as she entered a small area that had the look of a parade ground. Not that Grineer paraded, but that was what it looked like. All of the Grineer were focused on three dancing shapes across the way, but then one moved towards an alarm panel.

_Oh no you don't._ Li snarled silently as she charged. The Grineer saw her and spun, his Grakata coming up, but she was too close and her sword was out. Before he could even scream, the point of her sword had torn his throat out. He went down with a rasping gurgle, but Li was still in motion. There were _a lot_ of Grineer between her and her team. Her only chance was surprise and speed. Luckily, she had surprise. Speed? Oh yeah, that too. She left her guns holstered and moved in against the Grineer who were facing the other way, blade flashing.

Li wasn't a great swordswoman. She was good, no question. But she didn't practice with her sword every day for several hours like some of her kin. She much preferred to keep her distance. To have room to evade, to soar away when the odds got too bad. That wasn't an option now. She didn't leave wingmen. She had killed her third Grineer when one of the ones firing at her kin turned and saw her.

'Tenno Skuuuuum!" The Trooper shouted as he brought his Sobek to bear.

Li kept moving, her pistol out now and she dodged from cover to cover, staying ahead of the now infuriated Grineer. She felt her armor take hits and kept moving. But then she came around a corner and was face to face with a Shield Lancer. Before she could even blink, she was lying on her back and screamed silently as the Lancer's Viper spit fire into her midsection. Then he screamed as her Bolto came up and fired. Her aim was as precise as ever, the bolts tearing through his shield and then through him, pinning him to a pillar nearby. But now… she was hurt… And the other Grineer knew where she was.

She fired and fired and fired until her magazine ran dry. She was fumbling a reload, her vision darkening, as a Grineer Sawman entered her vision, his chopper raised. Then it all went black.

"…damnit, don't you _dare_ die on me!" An irate voice pulled Li back to consciousness. She looked up into the faceplate of the Trinity that she had been grouped with. Li stared as the green mist fell from the other warframe. She waved the Trinity away. The other Tenno was ignoring the enemy to save Li! No! She saw the Trinity jerk as Li jumped to her feet. With a howl of rage, she threw herself at the Grineer who had shot the medic. He jerked back too late as her blade tore through him. Her blade went to her back and her pistol came up, but… Apparently while she had been down, her warfare had been absorbing energy from the systems of fallen Grineer. She had enough power.

Li raised her hands and the air was suddenly still. But only for a moment. The calm… before the storm. Then every Grineer left on his feet screamed as they were swept off of them. The Mag had hit Crush. She saw the Volt move to assist the Trinity as Li focused on her own power. When the Mag's power released the Grineer, some of them dead, most still alive, Li released her power. Small whirling streams of energy appeared all around her, all going towards the Grineer. Each swirl grew and grew as the Tornado power exploded from Li's hands across the battlefield. Li holstered her pistol and drew her Latron rifle, aiming at the closest Tornado. The bullet hit and was absorbed into the whirling mess just as it hit a Lancer. The radiation enhanced bullet charged the energy streams and the hapless Lancer screamed as he was hoisted into the air and buffeted by gale force winds as well as radiation. His screams tapered off quickly and Li directed the funnel cloud at another Grinner who was fleeing the green energy funnel cloud frantically only to run headlong into another that the Volt had charged with cold damage. Screams came from across the battlefield as the Grineer were battered by winds in excess of 300 kilometers per hour as well as additional damage. Some of the screams were choked off with the throats giving them. Others were not.

Li's eyes were as cold as her heart as she watched the few surviving Grineer fall from her Tornados and calmly shot each as he tried to rise. In moments, it was over. She turned but the Trinity was rising, nodding to the Volt. Li made a quick gesture and the Trinity nodded. She made another quick series of gestures, explaining what had happened with the new Grineer. All three of the others stiffened, but then nodded. The mission came first. The Trinity came close, scanner whirring. Li stood quiet while her sister checked her. Then she nodded when the Trinity did. She was okay and so was her sister. A win. Dozens of Grineer lay dead around the plaza. But again. No alarm? Something was wrong.

_Trap?_ Li asked in gestures. The others shrugged. After a moment, she did too. They had their mission.

The Trinity stepped close, patted her shoulder and then stepped back as Li nodded. Li stepped away from her kin and jumped into the air again, sailing to the closest rooftop. This time, she was cautious. She stayed in cover. She found a few Grineer patrolling the roof, all of whom died before they could sound an alarm. But then her guts went cold. A Grineer assault shuttle like the one she had taken down before was landing ahead. Grineer were streaming from it. They… didn't look like they were in a hurry, then she froze as a huge orange colored form stepped from the shuttle.

_Oh shit… Ruk…_

Li jumped to the side of the roof where her kin were moving below and then dropped to land in front of them. She made a quick gesture of 'trap' and downloaded her visual data to the others. They paused in a defensible position and Li shook her head. They _had_ to take out this Grineer outpost. They _had_ to. She pointed three fingers at the other Tenno and then at an air vent nearby. They might be able to avoid the Grineer if they stayed in the vents. Maybe. But… They had a better chance of doing so if someone else held the Grineer's attention. Someone mobile. All three of the others shook their heads and Li snarled silently. She pointed to them, then at the vent. Then she jetted back up to the roof before they could protest.

Grineer General Sargas Ruk was no joke at all. The preeminent hunter of ancient Orokin artifacts among the Grineer, the monstrous Ruk was well known for slaughtering anyone and everyone who got in his way. Li had fought him before, when ordered by the Lotus to eliminate the latest clone of him that had been decanted. It got downright disheartening sometimes. She killed enemies and a week –or less- later, they were back and causing trouble again. Clones were such a pain in the butt. And Ruk? Well, he was even more so. His usual weapons included a rifle and a flamethrower for any Tenno dumb enough to get close and stay there. But it was his ability to drop a device on a warframe that attracted any bullets that were fired nearby to hit the warframe that truly hurt. Enemy or friendly bullet, it made no difference. Bullet Attractor pulled them all and Ruk's power was very similar to the Mag ability. She saw the icons of her teammates vanish on her HUD and smiled. At least the mission would be completed. Killing Ruk wasn't the mission, destroying the outpost was.

She was- Her musing came to an abrupt halt as a Grineer with a jetpack suddenly flew up over the roof. He was looking the other way and she shot him twice before he could turn. He fell and his jetpack flew off into the distance before exploding. Grineer tech at it's finest. She moved immediately. Her only advantage at this time was stealth and silence. She ignored the voice that called from below.

"Tenno." Ruk's voice hadn't been improved by his latest cloning. "You served me well against the greedy Corpus. Can we not come to an arrangement now?"

Li didn't respond. She _hadn't_ helped the Grineer during their invasion of Gravidus. She hated the Corpus, but with nowhere _near_ the fiery intensity that she hated the Grineer. This time _two_ Grineer Hellions appeared over the roof. One was facing the other way again, the other was facing her and raised his Hind as she fired. Her shot flew true and his burst plowed into the roof, doing nothing as he fell from the sky. But the other Hellion spun and was raising his own rifle as Li ducked into cover. Fire tore up the large piece of machinery that Li was behind and she heard the Hellion's jetpack blast again. He was moving to flank her. Well, two could play that game!

She hit her 'Tail Wind' and jetted up to slam into the startled Hellion. Her rifle was slung and her sword stabbed again and again as she evaded fire that was coming from below now. The Hellion's jetpack flew off as she used his now still body as a shield against the fire that was seeking her. As expected, a glowing sphere of energy appeared around her. But the bullets hit the armored Grineer she was holding! Well, most of them did. Some stung her as she landed on a different roof and dropped her makeshift clone shield.

"Come now, Tenno." Ruk said in what was probably supposed to be some kind of plea. It sounded like two pieces of metal grinding against one another. "We don't have to fight."

_Oh yes we do._ Li thought grimly as she moved from where she had landed. That assault transport could hold a platoon of Grineer, maybe a reinforced platoon if they squeezed them in very tight. Maybe fifty of the scum, plus Ruk who was no pushover. She couldn't win against those odds, but winning wasn't her job. The bubble of energy was still around her as she darted to hide behind a large piece of machinery near the roof's edge.

Li popped up from behind the machinery and fired a pair of quick shots at the line of Grineer below, some of whom had been moving towards doors. They all scattered for cover and she ducked back into cover herself as fire chewed at the machine she was cowering behind.

"So be it, Tenno." Ruk said with a snarl. "Grineer! Kill!" Li smirked under her helmet as the fire from below doubled. Grineer were nothing if not obedient. Stupid generally, but obedient. Then again, stupid enemies were a gift from the ancestors. She would take every advantage.

Li smiled even wider as an alarm sounded. Ruk started cursing and Li started running for the other roof edge. The rest of the team had done it. They had destroyed the coolant systems of the reactor and from the sound of the alarms, it was going to go critical. She had minutes at best to get out of the blast radius. She hit her Tail Wind, but then was stunned when something grabbed her and pulled her to the ground. Another oddly colored Grineer stood, his hand upraised as if he had physically pulled her. Maybe he had. She tried to turn, to boost away, but something hit her and she bit back a scream as she was slammed into a wall. Then she bit back another as something heavy landed on her leg and despite the armor of her warframe, it went 'snap'. She looked up into the muzzle of a flamethrower.

"You only delay the inevitable!" Sargas Ruk snapped as he aimed his weapon at her. "Grineer dominance is inevitable!"

She waited for him to shoot, but he did not. Instead, he stepped on her other leg. It too snapped like a dry twig. She felt little pain. More anger as the huge Grineer laughed.

"Now, you die Tenno." The Grineer General said with a snarl. "And not cleanly by bullets. No… You will live here until the radiation kills you. And just in case you think to fly away…" He jumped up and landed on her pelvis. The pain was excruciating, but then, suddenly, it was gone. Her spine was broken. "You will not fly with a broken back, I think Tenno. Goodbye." He strode for the now hovering assault transport, but paused as Li laughed out loud. He spun back, staring at her. "What?"

Instead of answering, Li hit her 'Tail Wind' again. She couldn't guide herself very well, but at this range? She didn't have to. She slammed into the massive Grineer, tearing him off his feet and slamming his armored form into the side of the assault transport. Then, in defiance of all common sense, she wrapped her hands around his weapon arm and boosted again, straight up. Then she boosted again and again and again until she was out of power. They were at least a thousand feet up above the facility.

"How well do _you_ fly, Grineer scum?" Li asked Ruk's suddenly pale face as she released him. He grabbed at her as he plummeted, but she evaded his clumsy grip easily. He screamed as he fell away.

Her lower body wasn't working at all, but she reoriented her upper body to glide as best she could. Then…

Some sixth sense warned her and she looked away as the sky suddenly lit up from beneath her. Then the blast front hit her and her last conscious thought was a smile.

_Mission accomplished. Diamondbacks 1, Grineer 0…_


	4. Chapter 4

**Search and Rescue**

"Li can't be dead!" Karen begged. "She can't be!"

"We lost track of her, Karen." Alicia said gently as they watched the display track across the Phobos wilderness. "She was hurt. We got that from her telemetry. If we can find her, we will, Karen. But…" She trailed off as Karen made a sad noise.

"I know." Karen said with a gulp. "She was too close. The radiation…"

"We won't know until we find her. One way or another, we will find her." Artus said calmly as the small ship they were in vectored towards the last know position of the Zephyr warframe. "Come on." He led the way to the deployment alcoves and the other two Tenno followed quickly. A sister was missing. They had to find her. Before the Grineer or the Corpus did.

* * *

Mitchell D29 woke with a start. He had been dozing for a bit and had been dreaming of Anne J45, his lost friend and squadron leader. She had been trying to tell him something, but he hadn't been able to hear her. What had woken him? He stared around, but nothing seemed to have changed on his rocky hideaway. The he saw his sensor data.

_Radiation increase? What the…?_

Phobos wasn't a planet. Indeed, it wasn't even really a large moon. It didn't have a lot of atmosphere despite the terraforming that had been done to it by the Orokin way back when it had been shifted form wherever it had been originally to its current position. It was too small to have formed as a planetary body, so it had to have been moved from wherever it had been a moon. He seemed to remember something about it once orbiting Mars, but wasn't sure.

What he _was_ sure about was that someone, somewhere on this rock had seriously screwed up. The only way for such a dramatic jump in radiation to occur was for a reactor to overload. Well, that was the only way he knew that didn't involve solar flares anyway. No one –not even Grineer- used nuclear weapons anywhere near habitable masses. Even Grineer had learned that if they did that, it was a net loss for their Empire. Maybe some of them could survive in an irradiated wasteland. Not all. If they blew an area completely away, they couldn't use it themselves. Besides, if they started throwing nukes around… They were not the only ones who _had_ them. It was common knowledge that the Corpus had nuclear warheads amongst it's arsenal, but _they_ didn't want to waste prime real estate either. Killing off entire populations was bad for business. Habitable places often meant people with money. Or at least people who could be… recruited into the Corpus. So…

Mitchell D29's thoughts slithered to a halt as something hurtled across the sky in front of his eyes. He stared at it, unsure of what he was seeing. Too small for any kind of ship. It wasn't a missile, a meteor or anything else he had seen flying. Not an animal, it was on a ballistic course. Unless he missed his guess, it would impact the surface a few kilometers from his perch. It was flopping oddly as it flew and he stared after it. What was it? He couldn't identify…

He ducked as another Grineer assault transport flew by and his eyes went wide as it started firing it's guns at whatever was flying across the sky! But then his thoughts crystallized as another turret on the Grineer ship swiveled his way. He was out of time. He was up and running before the first burst of machine gun fire tore up the mountaintop. The Grineer started correcting their aim, but Mitchell D29 was gone. He threw himself off the cliff side away from the clearing that still seethed with sand skates and plummeted for a moment before ordering his suit systems to deploy the solar cells in the configuration he had found. They did, and the coils of power cable under his armpits held him up as he had hoped. The jerk of the hang glider deploying nearly dislocated his shoulders, but suddenly he was soaring instead of falling. He threw his weight to one side and banked hard as rock loomed up before him.

The sounds of more firing came but nothing hit him as he arced around the pinnacle that had been his home for the last two days. Just to be on the safe side, he jinked from side to side as he flew, but nothing hit him. Which was good. This was not how the solar panels were designed to be used. He was mildly surprised that none of them had…

**Rip! **

He stared up at the material over his head and the long tear that had opened along the length of the solar cells. Then he was throwing his weight from side to side desperately as he lost lift. There wasn't a lot to begin with and he was approaching the ground fast. He started looking for any reasonably flat place to set down. He was totally focused on not going splat, so he had little attention to wonder why the Grineer were not chasing him. Why there was no further sound of firing. But then the ground came up and he was running along it, trying to slow himself as…

Mitchell D29 snapped awake as he felt himself dragged along the ground. He felt wetness on his face, but he was on the ground. The radiation filled wind was dragging the remnants of his hang glider away and him with it. He hit the disconnect command and the tattered remnants of the primitive airfoil that had saved his life flew away into the Phobos atmosphere. He was…

He jerked awake again. What was _wrong_ with him? Was he hurt? He stared at his suit readouts but they blurred under his eyes. Never a good sign. He had to get under cover before the Grineer came back. He had to. He started forward, but paused as he saw a dark mass on the ground ahead of him. It was the object he had seen flying. Somehow he had gotten ahead of it? How? How long had he been unconscious and how far had the tattered remnants of his hang glider pulled him? And… he jerked suddenly. How many things had he hit while unconscious? He stared down at his suit and gulped as he realized it was in tatters. The red, white and blue uniform colors that he and his squadron had worn so proudly only three days before were falling to pieces as he watched.

He was hurt. He knew that. Bad. But he wasn't dead yet. Mitchell D29 was a Corpus pilot. That was all he was. All he was for. Even if he wasn't entirely sure he believed in the Company anymore, he was a Corpus pilot and he would _not_ give up. Certainly not to the filthy Grineer. He stepped forward, aware that his steps were jerky, that his breath was coming in gasps. He moved to the mass and froze. A recognizable leg was protruding from the mass. This mass… was…

He went to his knees beside the form and slowly, so slowly turned it over. It fell…wrong. It was a Tenno. The same Tenno who had confronted him on the peak. Now that he wasn't just focused on the beaked alien face even as battered as it was, he could see the machine was set to emulate a human female. Or something. It… He paused as he saw discoloration underneath the form. Not oil. He knew the look of oil. That was _blood_.

"This isn't possible." Mitchell D29 said softly.

Tenno were machines. Ancient bio-mechanical relics of a bygone age. Every member of the Corpus knew that. But… he slowly eased the limp form so it lay straight on the ground. It was far heavier than it should have been. Nothing human sized should weigh so much. So… What? He didn't know and for a moment, his primitive hindbrain commanded him to run. To flee the unknown that was staring back at him. Was the Tenno conscious? Was it even _alive_? Had it ever _been_ alive? He didn't know. He didn't have any medical gear except what was built into his suit, and most of that was trashed.

He shook himself and focused on what he did know. The Tenno's weapons were fixed to it somehow. He couldn't get them off. He fingered his Cestra for a moment and then sighed. If the Tenno woke up or whatever and decided he was dead, he was. He carefully straightened the limp form, wincing at the feelings of what had to be broken limbs. But it was the flopping of the hips that really bothered him. It was just… wrong. He had seen the Tenno move. Something had crushed her, yes he would think of the Tenno as a 'her' until told otherwise. Something had crushed her pelvis. Was it his imagination he could see a boot print like a Grineer's armored boot on her back? He had…

He froze, staring at the right shoulder of the ancient war machine, then slowly, so slowly reached up and rubbed a patch of dirt off of something. In form it was small, nearly obscured by a hologram projector that was obviously non-functional. But he knew it. He _knew _it. A white diamond with a red border. A blue rendition of the Earth in the middle and around the planet? A red and white snake with diamond scales. He stared at it, then, swallowing, stared down at his own right shoulder where an _identical_ image shown when not covered by a flap of his suit.

_Diamondback. She's a __**Diamondback**__… That is __**impossible**__._

Mitchell D29 considered himself a strong willed person, but this… This wasn't possible. He shook his head. If he could get this relic back to the Corpus, he would be rewarded. Then he laughed sourly. Yeah, rewarded with a quick _death_, probably. This was… beyond his knowledge. He didn't know where Anne J45 had gotten the image, the history for the squadron. He…didn't think he had it on his PA. He shook himself. If he sat here, the Grineer would find him. And if they found the Tenno with the impossible markings…

Was _that_ why she hadn't attacked him? Indeed, why she had _saved_ him? This didn't make any sense. Tenno were merciless killing machines. Every Corpus knew that. You only had to see the results once to know that Tenno had no concept of 'fair' or 'mercy'. But could the Tenno have seen the patch through the flap? Or had the Tenno seen what was left of his fighter with _its_ insignia? He didn't know. He couldn't know. All he had now were questions. And if she died… If she wasn't dead already…

No human could survive the kind of damage the Tenno had taken, that was for sure. But he knew absolutely nothing about Tenno besides what the Corpus told their troops about them. He wondered how much the higher ups actually knew, then dismissed that thought. He couldn't leave her here. She was exposed. Why hadn't the Grineer come back? He glanced up and around, but no sign of the Grineer ship was seen. He strained his senses and thought he heard gunfire, but it was distant and… didn't sound right. He wasn't sure. He wasn't a ground pounder. He was out of his depth. But one thing he did know. He couldn't leave this Tenno with a Diamondback insignia to die without at least _trying_.

She had saved his life, he owed her that much at the very least. With one last quick glance at the sky, he started dragging the Tenno towards a darkness he could see in the near distance. Cave or even a depression, it would be out of direct view from the sky. He pulled with one hand, the other on his Cestra. His vision was blurring, but he managed to get the Tenno into the small shelter, essentially a rock overhang. Then he sat down beside the still form and panted. What little first aid he knew was all specific to humans with Corpus augmentation. He had no idea at all what to do with a Tenno. He knelt down, but couldn't hear any breathing. Quick checks at neck and wrist showed no pulse. He had no idea what he was doing, except when he straightened her… He paused. Her pelvis was… not as flat as it had been. What the hell? Was she _healing_? _Could_ she heal? He straightened the Tenno's legs carefully, totally unsure of how the configuration was supposed to be.

Suddenly he was on the ground, his head spinning. He stared at the Tenno as she rose up on her elbows, one hand dropping to her waist and the pistol holstered there. She had hit him. If she fired, he didn't doubt she would not miss.

"Wait!" He said quickly, raising empty hands. "_Diamondback_!" He said sharply. The Tenno froze, her pistol half up. He reached up for his shoulder and pulled the self-adhesive flap away from the patch. He showed it to the Tenno. "Like you!" He said weakly.

She stared at the patch and then at her own shoulder, her pistol drooping a little. It jerked up as Mitchell D29 slowly sank to his haunches.

"I don't know what is going on here." Mitchell D29 said quietly. "I don't even know if you can understand me. I don't know if we are enemies or not. I _do_ know that you are hurt. I am hurt." The Tenno stared at him, its alien face unreadable. "But…" He shook his head and slowly pulled his Cestra out of its holster with two fingers. He set it on the ground and slid it towards the Tenno. "All you can do is kill me. From what little I have seen… _You_ wouldn't be vicious about it." He slumped, suddenly it felt as if his helmet weighed tons. "Not like the Grineer or my own masters… If you are going to shoot… Shoot." The Tenno did not move and Mitchell D29 slowly sank to the ground, exhaustion finally pulling him down. "So… bloody… tired…" He smiled at her a little, not that it would be visible through the closed helmet. "Maybe _you_ will survive. Then… we will… Be remembered." Darkness was crowding his vision now as he lay down. "Diamondbacks… forever…"

Was it his imagination that he heard a soft female voice as he fell into hungry blackness? If so, it wasn't aloud.

_Diamondbacks forever_

* * *

Li stared at the Corpus pilot. Not in any of her wildest dreams she could have imagined this. What did he _know_? What did he _remember_ about the patch on her shoulder? She had no idea where it was from, who had put it there or why. All she knew was the name 'Diamondbacks' and the feelings that surged in her. Pride. Confidence. A feeling of belonging… She reached out a slow hand to touch the still form of the Corpus pilot and he didn't move. Her warframe sensors showed his body was damaged badly. What had he done to himself? He wouldn't last the night. She… Li hated the Corpus, but… She couldn't just let him die. She needed answers. Li held her hand out over him and he screamed once, a long drawn out sound of agony as her warframe systems digitized him and stored his data in her secondary buffer. A quick check showed he was secure and asleep in his electronic prison. She turned her attention to herself and winced.

She was… badly hurt. Broken legs. Broken pelvis. Broken spine. The warframe would heal her. But it would take time. And time was something she did not have. The radiation count on her warframe was off the charts. The bio-mechanical armor had protected her greatly, but in all things, there were limits. It had absorbed a great deal of energy from the explosion that had claimed the facility. That energy was damaging her flesh under the warframe. A slow, lingering fate. She chuckled mirthlessly. That was what Ruk had planned to sentence her to in the first place. He had been given a far kinder death and now, she would perish.

_I always thought I would die as I have lived…_ Li said to herself sadly. _Alone…_

She didn't want to die. She wasn't sure why. But she didn't want to. She was immobilized. Hurt and alone. But she would not give up as long as there was breath in her body. Especially now that she had some inkling of what the patch on her shoulder meant. Of what Diamondbacks meant.

_I am not alone._ Li said to herself. _He has… some answers. He must. He will take no further harm in the buffer. And even if my flesh fails… I will revive. I must know._

Now whether or not it would be _good_ for her to revive in a failing body over and over again… That was for the future. For now… Li tensed as she heard gunfire. Familiar gunfire. Grineer weapons and Tenno weapons hammered a back and forth. Then, it receded. Li held her pistol up in a shaking hand.

_Whatever comes, I will face. _Li promised herself._ I will not let my enemies win. I am a Diamondback. _

A hulking form ran into the small overhang and paused, staring at the Tenno. The Grineer Napalm was somewhat the worse for wear, but still mobile. It spun, bringing its weapon to bear but she was faster. The pair of bolts threw the clone to the dirt where it lay silent.

_Bring em on!_ Li growled grimly to herself. _I still have ammo! Diamondbacks forever!_


	5. Chapter 5

**Recovery**

Li was ready to sell herself dearly, but instead of more Grineer…

"Li?" A soft, scared voice sounded and a familiar form appeared. "Li!" The Trinity called Alicia said sharply as she came down into the shadowed overhang. "Hold on, Li! Hold on!" She started scanning.

_Maybe I __**won't**__ die today. _Li mused. _Maybe… Maybe I will be able to figure out the truth about Diamondbacks._

"Don't try to move, Li." Alicia said sharply as Li struggled to holster her pistol. "Here…" The Trinity helped her to replace her weapon. "We have evac coming."

"Alicia…" Li said in a voice that was far too weak to be hers. "Have a passenger."

"Don't try to talk, Li!" Alicia snapped. "I have got you, sister!"

"Alicia, please…" Li said as darkness crowded in again. "Don't… I need…" Alicia cursed as Li lost consciousness, but the sorely hurt Zephyr's rhythms stabilized in unconsciousness.

"Alicia?" Karen called. "Transport is here. The Grineer are pushing. Artus is falling back! We need to go."

"I have her." Alicia called as she gathered Li up, then stared at the Cestra pistol at her feet. "Corpus?" She said, worried. Then she shook herself. "Let's go!"

She ran, Li's still form in hand. Karen kept an easy pace, her Snipetron Vandal in hand. Every so often, the Mag would stop, kneel and fire, then resume her running. The ship was waiting not far away and Alicia entered first, placing Li in the medical enclosure. It immediately started beeping in electronic distress as it scanned her.

"I know." Alicia said sadly as Artus and Karen entered. "She is probably going to lose her legs."

* * *

Li was flying. Not in her warframe, but in something else. Something she vaguely remembered was called an 'airplane'? Or no… Not an airplane… She was both doing it and watching as she pulled back on a control and whatever she was riding in/flying climbed and the sky turned from deep blue to black. Was this a dream? Tenno did not usually dream, but… it felt more.

_Spaceplane._ Li felt the word and knew it was right. Somehow. It was… She was free. It was so beautiful, seeing the Earth curve underneath her. Seeing the stars unblinking, unshuttered by atmosphere. Seeing the… bright marks of explosions…

The watching Li tensed, but the flying Li just hit controls and a sense of pressure pushed. A thruster for space operation. The Li controlling the spaceplane operated it like a virtuoso, no wasted effort. No fumbled actions. Everything was trained and precise. A star suddenly flashed in the near distance and the watching Li inhaled as it grew into an Orokin style spacecraft. The watcher jerked as the flier spoke.

"Kirov, this is DBack Lead with two, inbound for the barn. Winchester munitions and bingo fuel." Out of dispensable ordnance and almost out of fuel, the watching Li realized somehow. Then again, it was her voice speaking. _Was_ this a dream? Or a _memory_?

"For a while, we thought we had lost you, DBack Lead." A calm male voice sounded. "How bad?"

"Not as bad as it could have been, base." The flying Li said in a quiet tone. "But bad. We lost three. All three remaining in A Flight are shot up. Request emergency crews on standby."

"Rolling emergency crews out now. How many did you get?" The male asked with glee. "The captain would like to know."

"I don't know. It was a big mess of a furball." The flying Li admitted. "But our element got about twenty. I got at least five."

"_Five_?" The voice gave an appreciative whistle. "You are going to run out of space to paint kills on your bird at this rate, DBack Lead." Li felt a surge of rage, both from herself and the other she was watching. This chair bound weenie thought _kills_ were important when she had lost _pilots_? _Friends_?

"Requesting vector." The flying Li said with a hint of ice.

"Roger that, DBack Lead. Vector One Eight Four." The voice said in a more professional tone. "Call the ball."

"Nine, you first." Li felt a wave of weariness pass through her as she saw an oddly painted craft arc forwards towards a set of blinking lights in the distance. It was white and red and had a striking snake painted on the vertical stabilizers. "Don't break that bird or the captain's deck."

"Roger lead." A calm female voice sounded. "Kirov, DBack Nine has the ball."

"Good…" The flying Li said, her tenseness apparent to the watcher. Then she relaxed as the spacecraft ahead vanished. "Good trap, Nine. Sixteen, you're up."

"Lead, I have a mechanical casualty." A professional voice sounded. "Not sure my landing gear will deploy." The watching Li jerked. That sounded like the Corpus pilot. But that was impossible!

"Right." The flying Li said quietly. "Declare inflight."

"I think I got it." The male voice said quickly.

"DBack Sixteen." The flying Li said sternly. "Declare inflight. _Now_." She commanded. "You do no one any good as a smoking _crater_ in the deck. And you would make the me _mad_ if you break that bird."

"Yes, Ma'am." The other said, chastened. His voice strengthened. "Kirov Control, this is DBack Sixteen, declaring inflight emergency at this time. Landing gear malfunction."

"We got you, DBack Sixteen. Magnetic beam lock is good." The calm male voice from before said with assuredness. "Enjoy the ride."

"Yeah right." The pilot's voice was sour as his ship arced away as if pulled by something. "If I _enjoyed_ being _carried_, I would have taken a _bus!_" Li had to fight back a snicker at the pilot's sour tone. She watched as the small spacecraft vanished into the maw of what had to be some kind of spacecraft carrier.

"Ready to come home, DBack Lead?" The male controller asked.

"Ready for a shower, a meal and a _bunk._" The flying Li said gratefully. "Not necessarily in that order." Pressure mounted again, the small spacecraft was accelerating.

"We have all three ready for you, DBack Lead." The voice reassured her. "Call the ball."

"Roger. DBack Lead has the ball." Li watched as the larger spacecraft suddenly grew. She saw lights flashing along the landing grid ahead of the small ship and it arced closer and closer…

* * *

"Tenno Li?" A gentle voice asked from nearby. "Tenno Li, can you hear me?"

Waking was a slow and languorous process. Nothing hurt. But everything felt strange. She had been dreaming, she remembered that. It had involved flying. She remembered that. But it faded as she focused on it. She accessed her visual sensors and paused. What the-? She was still in her warframe, but its readouts were all wrong. Red shone on everything below her navel.

"We have limited your mobility and strength enhancers, Tenno Li." The voice said and Li managed to focus on the speaker. It was a female human but she was wearing Tenno hazardous environment medical garb. Li didn't know this being, but a quick look around showed they were in the medical ward of a Tenno dojo. But…why was she still in her warframe? Limiting the strength and mobility made sense if a person was in a warframe to be treated, but leaving her in the irradiated mass? The woman smiled through her clear faceplate as she saw Li's scrutiny. "My name is Amelia, Tenno Li. Can you speak?"

"Yes." Li said and was amazed at how normal her voice sounded. "How bad?"

"Pretty bad." The medic said calmly. "But you are alive and if I have anything to say about it, you will stay that way."

"I have a passenger." Li said softly, not looking away from the doc. She was scared of what she might see.

"We know." Amelia said with a nod. "We wanted to wake you, make sure you were fully aware."

"Doc." Li said softly. "I have no reading or feeling on my legs. On anything below my hips."

"I know." Amelia said with a sigh. "We did what we could, Tenno Li." She said sadly. "We will have to remove your legs. From the hip."

"No!" Li snapped in reflexive protest. "I… No. Doc, without legs I can't steer in the air!"

"Tenno Li." Amelia said gently. "They were irradiated. _Are_ irradiated. If we don't remove them, you will die from radiation poisoning despite everything your warframe can do. Even if we don't… You won't be able to use them. There is too much damage."

"Doc, flying is my life!" Li protested fiercely. "It is all I am. All… I ever was…" She said sadly. "All I remember. Please?" She begged.

"Tenno Li…" Amelia said gently. "We may be able to regen them. I have seen some new therapies with frankly astounding results. But you _die_, what's the point?"

"Flying is all I have, doc." Li said with a cry of despair. "All I am… I… I have to…"

"Tenno Li…" The doc said patiently. "It has to be done. We are going to remove your passenger and then get you out of your warframe. When you wake, we can start therapy. I am sorry." She said softly.

"Doc… No…" Li begged, but the doc did something and she was falling into blackness as she wept.

* * *

Mitchell D29 woke from a dream of pain to… comfort. He was sitting in a chair, wearing a garment he did not recognize. His eyes… His hand shot up to his face and he went still as he realized his augmentation was gone. Not just his visor with its visual augmentation, but the plugs for his neural access to his ship were gone too. Quick checks showed that all his other augmentation was gone as well.

"Good morning." A soft, but commanding voice spoke from nearby and Mitchell D29 stiffened as he looked up to see a male human –or what looked like a male human- standing nearby. He wore some kind of robes, but the way he stood said 'danger' to the pilot.

"What have you done to me?" Mitchell D29 demanded.

"This isn't real." The man said calmly. "You were digitized. Good thing too. You wouldn't have lasted more than an hour, two on the outside. Li saved your life." The man frowned slightly. "The question is… why?"

"This isn't real?" Mitchell D29 asked slowly.

"No." The man said with a shake of his head. "This is a virtual world where the two of us can talk. You might call it a prison, except your real body still exists and is being repaired as we speak. Once we have talked… Well…" The man shrugged. "We can go from there."

"And if I don't want to talk to you?" Mitchell D29 said sharply, but the man just nodded.

"You don't have to." The man replied. "We would like to know why you helped our sister and then why she helped you. But there really isn't any militarily germane data in your mind that we don't already have."

"You have read my mind…." Mitchell D29 said weakly.

"Sort of." The man said with another shrug. "We didn't hurt you. And we won't. You helped our sister." He said with a smile. "We are not in the habit of hurting people who do that. Even if it confuses us."

"You are Tenno." Mitchell D29 said softly, fear starting to rise.

"I am." The man replied. "My name is Olim." He raised a hand as Mitchell D29 started to move. "I am telling you the truth. We mean you no harm, Mitchell D29. We are curious. And grateful for what you did for Li. If the Grineer had found her out in the open, they would have killed her."

"I didn't think Tenno could die." Mitchell D29 said fiercely. He was not expecting the man to laugh sourly.

"_Everything_ dies, Mitchell D29." The odd man –Olim- said with a sad chuckle. "Plants, animals, planets, stars, galaxies. Why would _Tenno_ be any different?"

"We are told that Tenno are machines." Mitchell D29 said slowly. If this was an interrogation, it was unlike any he had ever thought about. "Ancient war machines."

"We are." Olim said simply. "But… Bio-mechanical. As opposed to humans being organic machines or your fighter being a technological machine. We bridge the gap."

"Why are you being so… polite?" Mitchell D29 asked, suspicion flaring. "If you can read my mind, why not just do it?"

"For one thing…" Olim said with a sigh. "Humans are fragile. If we tear information from your mind, we will do irreparable damage _to_ your mind. We can see… the surface if you will, without danger. The deeper we go, the greater the danger."

"Why tell me this?" Mitchell D29 asked, confused. "Everything I have ever heard about Tenno says you are killing machines. Soulless and evil." As soon as he said that, he wished he could pull the words back in. But Olim wasn't offended.

"We have _done_ evil." Olim said sadly. "Many of us try to find 'the lesser evil' as it were, but not all of us. Some of us are motivated by pragmatism that would not be out of place in a Grineer or Corpus Executive."

"The Corpus isn't like that!" Mitchell D29 said sternly. "It is a family. A home!"

"A family that _threw_ you away." Olim said quietly. Mitchell D29 went still and Olim sighed. "There wasn't much left of your ship, but we _did_ find most of one flight recorder." Mitchell D29 went totally stiff and Olim nodded. "You are good." Olim said, his tone openly admiring. "And they tossed you away like garbage when they decided to 'upgrade' to pure robotics." The outrage in his voice could not be feigned. "We won't hurt you and we will find a way for you to go back if you wish. You _do_ realize if you _do_… it's a death sentence. Right?"

"Flying is all I know." Mitchell D29 said softly. "All I have ever been good at."

"Do you remember anything before the Corpus?" Olim asked, his tone neutral.

"I… What?" Mitchell D29 asked, confused.

"Mitchell D29, very few of the Corpus'… operatives…" Olim said delicately. "…actually began as workers for the Corpus. They have a few reproduction colonies, very well hidden and even better protected for the most part. But most of the Corpus rank and file come from people they… acquire."

"They hire qualified personnel." Mitchell D29 said, if anything even more confused.

"Actually no." Olim said with a sigh. "But you are not ready to hear it right now." Mitchell D29 stared at the Tenno. Was that _sympathy_ in his voice? Couldn't be. "For right now… You can't go back immediately. For one thing, you are hurt nearly as badly as Li was."

"Li." Mitchell D29 said slowly. "That is the Tenno I dealt with?"

"Yes." Olim said sadly. "Her injuries… will likely keep her from flying again." Mitchell D29 inhaled in horror and Olim nodded. "Like you, flying is her life. More than that. It is all she is. She… remembers about as much from before as you do. Maybe less."

"So she doesn't know where the Diamondbacks came from?" The question was blurted out before Mitchell D29 could stop himself. But again, Olim was not offended.

"No." Olim said sadly. "She didn't remember her own _name_. All she had to go on was the patch."

"How do you know this?" Mitchell D29 asked slowly.

"She has talked with mental health professionals on occasion, trying to recover her memory." Olim said with a nod. "What she said with them is mostly confidential, doctor-patient privilege and all that. But we were and _are_ very worried about how she will react when she wakes."

"And can't fly anymore." Mitchell D29 said slowly. "Then why talk to me?"

"Because you may be able to take her mind off her loss." Olim said gently. "You both are searching for answers. You have bits of the puzzle, _she_ has bits of the puzzle. Both of you together don't have the whole story. Yet."

"You are asking me to trust you." Mitchell D29 said incredulously. "Are you _insane?_"

"Maybe." Olim said with a small smile. "I have wondered that myself more than once recently. But the main thing is… You helped our sister when you didn't have to. We Tenno do not have much. Essentially all we have is each other." A finger pointed towards Mitchell D29 and he felt a chill. "You helped save our sister. We owe you, but we will not be stupid about it."

"And I owe her." Mitchell D29 said with a gulp. "I was dying wasn't I?"

"You hit the ground hard." Olim said with a nod. "And then you hit several things while being dragged. We extrapolated your trajectory." He shook his head. "_You_ are crazy. A hang glider made of solar cells… _Solar cells?_" His tone was dubious and humorous.

"You use what you have." Mitchell D29 said defensively. "It was what I had."

"Dude…" Olim said with a wince. "The jerk of opening nearly tore your _arms_ off."

"It worked." Mitchell D29 said with a touch of heat.

"If it is stupid and it works…?" Olim said with a snort.

"…then it isn't stupid." Mitchell D29 said with a matching snort. "Desperation is a powerful motivator."

"Indeed it is." Olim said with a laugh. He shook himself. "Can you help us? Help Li?"

"I don't like this." Mitchell D29 said quietly. "All I have ever heard about Tenno makes me… cautious at the very least. But I do want answers." He shook his head. "What do you want me to do?"

"For now, heal." Olim said with a nod. "Li will be unconscious longer than you will. The radiation treatment alone will be… extreme. You are a guest, not a prisoner, but you will not be allowed to roam free."

"I didn't think you were that stupid." Mitchell D29 said sourly. "Ah well."

"Is there anything you want to ask?" Olim said quietly. "I may not be able to answer, but if I can, I will."

"Do you know anything about the Diamondbacks?" Mitchell D29 asked, his tone cautious again.

"_Which_ Diamondbacks?" Olim asked sourly. "I did a quick data search before coming to talk to you and came up with two hundred thousand hits."

"Two hundred…_thousand_?" Mitchell D29 asked weakly. "Ah…"

"Sports teams -both professional and not-, snakes, shoes, a type of boat, flags…" Olim said with a wince. "And the insignia of _several_ Old Earth military groups. Squadrons."

"Squadrons?" Mitchell D29 asked slowly. "Tell me more."

"Most of them are a variant of this symbol." Olim said calmly as the symbol Mitchell D29 knew as the Diamondback insignia appeared in midair. "The first that I can find dates back to the middle of the twentieth century. Pre Orokin."

"_Pre Orokin_?" Mitchell D29 said with wide eyes. "I mean…that is a _long_ time to remember an insignia."

"Millennia." Olim said softly. "We are not sure exactly how long." Mitchell D29 made an 'eep' noise and Olim nodded. "One more thing…"

"Do I want to know?" Mitchell D29 asked slowly.

"We have done full scans on your body in preparation to healing your wounds." Olim said softly. "You are older than you think." Mitchell D29 just stared at the Tenno and Olim nodded.

"You have been in cryo."


	6. Chapter 6

**Grounded**

Li was smothering. Every sense was muted by the waves of whatever held her down. She was struggling for all she was worth, trying to break free of the grasping, clinging whatever it was that held her. She threw herself at it, pushing herself further and further. It yielded but then it snapped back, pulling her back into it's smothering embrace. She threw herself into the fight as recklessly as she would throw herself across the sky. Finally…

Li gasped as she woke. Everything was subdued, muted. Somehow, she knew it was drugs. She was lying on something soft, something warm pulled over top of her. Nothing was wrong. But everything was. She bit back a sob as she tried to move her hand and it jiggled a little, then arced for the sheet that was over top of her. She had to see.

"No." A soft, but insistent voice said as something caught her hand. She tried to twist free of whatever held her and the hand holding hers tightened. "You are not ready for that, Sister Li." Li blinked and stared up in the dim light at a woman in an… odd garment. It looked… alive. "It's okay, Sister Li. It's okay." She said gently as she laid Li's hand back down beside her. She patted the hand, but left hers on top of it. Offering support or restraining? It didn't really matter. Li wasn't strong enough to push the hand away. She was gasping for breath just from the effort of moving her hand.

"Who are you?" Li asked weakly. "Do I know you?"

"We haven't met before, Sister." The woman said gently. "My name is Iriana." Li went still. Of course she knew the name. _Healer_ Iriana. If half of what she knew of this woman was true… Li must have been even hurt even worse than she thought if they had called the big healing guns in. Then again, she knew she had been hurt very badly. "I came as soon as I heard what happened, Sister." Iriana said gently. Li tried to move her lower body and… nothing did.

"They… took them off…" Li said, her face falling. She felt her eyes burn and tasted salt.

"They didn't have a choice, Sister." Iriana said quietly. "The radiation was killing you."

"_How am I supposed to fly with no legs?_" Li screamed. "I won't be able to _steer!_" Her head hung down near her chest now. "I… I can't fly…"

"Sister." Iriana said sadly. "You are alive. Where there is life, there is hope. Without life, there is none."

"I need to see." Li begged. "I need to see them!"

"Not yet." Iriana said sternly. "You are not strong enough. You need to recover. Sleep some more, then eat, and then, maybe you will be strong enough. As it is… You are right on the edge, sister. I won't let you fall."

"I have lived my life on the edge…" Li said swinging her other hand up. Er, she tried to. It wouldn't move. She stared at it and it was tied down, a number of tubes and wires connected to it.

"Sister, please." Iriana begged, "We need to finish the radiation treatment. It is new, but it works. It will clean your body out. After that…" She smiled a bit forlornly. "I have some friends who made a breakthrough in regenerating lost limbs." Li stared at her and Iriana patted her hand. "This hand that I am touching you with? It was amputated." She slid the hand under Li's. "Go on. Feel. Is it real?"

"Feels real." Li said, her tone hesitant as she squeezed the hand. It felt right. "Healer… Swear to me… _Can_ it be done?"

"Li…" Iriana said softly. "Your body absorbed a _lot_ of radiation. If you hadn't been in your warframe… You would have been dead in moments. As it is, the damage was… extreme. I cannot promise you that it will work. What I _can_ promise you is that I will not stop trying to _make_ it work."

"I am scared." Li said, sinking back into the bed. "Flying is all I have. All I am. I… Don't ground me, Healer. Please? Don't let them ground me. Please?" She begged. "Without the ability to fly… I am nothing…"

"Li, that is not true. I don't know what will happen." Iriana said gently rubbing Li's hand. "But I will do everything in my power to see you soar again. I promise you that." Li felt herself falling and fought the weariness back. "Easy, Li. Let yourself go. You need to sleep." Iriana said in a soothing voice.

"I need… to fly…" Li said as darkness took her, but… she soared into it and was soothed. For a moment, she was free again. Free to soar as a Diamondback should.

* * *

It was a tense group that met in the main ward of the Medical bay.

"She is not going to take it well." Iriana said to the assembled medical personnel. "Flying was her life. It was all she had." Amelia hung her head and Iriana shook hers. "_Don't_, Amelia. You had _no_ choice as badly damaged and irradiated as her legs were. We might be able to regenerate the legs, but it will take time. First, she needs to finish the cleansing therapy. Then I can see if I can duplicate what was done for _me_. I was told what to do, but they have _no_ idea if the flesh will bond to _her_, since it was created specifically for _me_. We are pursuing other options as well, but for now, let's keep it as simple as we can."

"We need to get her engaged, keep her occupied." Brianna said from the side, her face as worried as the others. "If she retreats, closes herself off, she will not have the strength to recover. Alicia?" The warrior medic took a moment to think before replying.

"You are right, Brianna." Alicia said with a nod. "As weak as she is right now, she wouldn't even need to use the biofeedback to suicide." All four medics winced. "This thing that Olim was talking to the Corpus pilot about… Diamondbacks… It seems quite a mystery. How she and a Corpus pilot of all things wound up with similar patches. Do you think we can get her to focus on that?"

"Maybe." Iriana said, her voice hesitant. "But she is also not stupid. She is going to know we are distracting her."

"Keep her involved in the healing process." Amelia said with a nod. "Show her everything we are doing. Try to get her to focus on something else while she heals? Even if she realizes she is being directed, it's not bad, is it?" She smiled a bit sadly. "Especially if we are up front with her about it. About how weak she is. About the chances. You know her, Alicia. Is she a quitter?"

"Li?" Alicia snorted in harsh laughter. "Not at _all_. She is just as stubborn or more so than any of us."

"_Nikis?_" Iriana asked slyly and the other three winced. "Okay… bad example." She admitted. "_One_ crazy Tenno around here is _more_ than enough."

"True." Alicia said with a snort. "But… Li… isn't crazy. Focused. She is focused. Her sole focus for a long, long time, has been flying. Well, flying and fighting." She qualified. "More than one of us in the field have likened her to an old Earth bird of prey. A falcon. Patient and calculating. Cunning and deadly." She shook her head. "We need to get her attention and hold it. If she has time to think, to start to brood…" She shuddered.

"She is going to demand to see her legs." Amelia said with a sigh. "Alicia… do you think she can handle it?"

"I don't know, Amelia." The combat medic said soberly. "I just don't know."

"Well." Iriana said into the silence that fell. "First we get her cleaned of the radiation. Get her burns tended, check her organs for deleterious effects. Then we can see about regeneration therapy for her legs."

"And keep her occupied." Alicia said with a nod. "For now, it is the best we can do. I'll get suited up and start the cleansing process. Good thing she will sleep through that."

"What if she wakes?" Brianna asked, and the others looked at her. "She is seriously tough to have survived what happened. But if she wakes… immobile in a tank…" She winced and the others shared it. "We won't be able to hide her injuries from her."

"She…shouldn't." Iriana said slowly, concerned. "But if she does… Alicia?"

"If she does, I can keep her focused on me." Alicia said with a sigh. "Won't be fun, but I can do it. We will need to find something to occupy her when she wakes."

"Olim is working on that." Iriana said with a nod. "I dislike mysteries myself, but if we can get Li to focus on figuring out her past and how it is shared with that Corpus pilot, or _if_ it is…" She shrugged.

"And we…" Amelia waved to Brianna who nodded. "…will focus on getting quarters set up for her here. We will set them up so she has some mobility. We will need to keep her under close surveillance. While I dislike it, she is too fragile right now. We all saw what she was like." She said with a sad sigh. The others nodded. The recording of Li's waking had been heartbreaking. "We will help her."

"We will help her." The others chorused.

* * *

"Wow. You were not kidding." Mitchell D29 said as he sat back from his research. This 'virtual world' was the most detailed holographic interface he had ever seen. He actually felt fatigue here. "So many squadrons."

"Yeah." Olim said with a sigh from where he knelt. He had directed Mitchell D29's inquiries but made no motion to help. He was a guard. Strangely, Mitchell D29 found he didn't mind. He was kind of starting to like the odd man/Tenno/whatever he was. "A proud tradition. I am curious, however. How did your squadron leader manage to persuade the Corpus Execs to institute such a group?" Mitchell D29 paused his search and turned back to the Tenno. "It seems to fly in the face of almost everything we know of the Corpus. They do not give up control."

"They always _had_ control." Mitchell D29 said mildly. "One of the core precepts of any successful pilot is discipline. We always had a chain of command. Always a…" He paused. What?

"Mitchell D29?" Olim asked after a moment. "Problem?"

"I don't know." Mitchell D29 said soberly. "Maybe just a brain fart. There is always a chain of command. Fighter pilots in particular have to be highly disciplined. That was… pounded into my head." He said a bit sheepishly.

"What did you do?" Olim asked with a laugh. "Personally, I set my first training master's second best set of robes on fire once." Mitchell stared at him and then laughed.

"I um… violated a few regulations. Um… dress code particularly. " Mitchell D29 said with a sigh. "Then they didn't like my 'unauthorized use of Company resources' to spiff up my fighter. I painted Grineer kills on the side like some of the images we have seen and the company execs did _not_ appreciate it. I got read the riot act for 'defacing' my A-789. We always used the same fighters, but…" He paused. "They were made for us? I remember _someone_ saying that. One of the techs?" He mused, thinking hard. "No…"

"Don't push it." Olim said gently. "Let it come on it's own."

"Is this an interrogation?" Mitchell D29 asked, concerned. "If it is, it's the strangest one I have ever heard of."

"It's not." Olim reassured him. "We usually do interrogations here. But this isn't one." Mitchell D29 looked at him and Olim shrugged. "I am sure you have heard all kinds of stories about the horrors." Mitchell nodded and Olim shrugged again. "We don't need to. Think about it, Mitchell D29." Olim said quietly. "In this place, you cannot die. You cannot escape and you cannot die. Yes, we _could_ hurt you, but what would be the _point_? If we can get what we want by _talking_ to you, isn't that better than hurting you for no gain? Patience and understanding will work, given enough time."

"A velvet glove…" Mitchell D29 said softly. Olim looked at him and Mitchell D29 flushed. "I remembered something from somewhere about offering a velvet glove instead of an armored fist. I don't see this working on Grineer though."

"It doesn't." Olim said with a sigh. "With them… it's always worse. Their entire society is based on the strong taking from the weak. We… don't usually bother trying anymore. It doesn't work."

"I don't want to know what you do, do I?" Mitchell D29 swallowed hard as Olim shook his head. "Okay then…" He said, changing the subject. "Diamondbacks. It _has_ to be something about flying."

"Probably." Olim said with a nod. "I saw something about a precision flight team in there."

"High speed maneuvers to put on a show?" Mitchell D29 asked sourly. "Different skill set."

"What?" Olim asked.

"Basically you fly low enough and slow enough that people can see you. Usually in an incredibly tight formation. Precision high speed formation flying like that demands coordination and a degree of control that is simply _not_ going to happen in a chaotic battle setting." Mitchell D29 said absently. "Hard to do, mind you. But pretty much only good to impress civilians or bigwigs. It's also a serious pain in the butt to pull off. There is _zero_ room for error when your wingtip is half a meter from your wingman's canopy. Doing it at low level only increases the risk."

"You have done it." Olim said calmly. Mitchell D29 turned and stared at him.

"What?" The pilot asked, confused.

"You have done that, haven't you?" Olim asked carefully. "Precision high speed formation flying?" Mitchell D29 just gaped at him and Olim shrugged. "That sounded like _experience_ talking, there." The pilot stared at him and then shook his head slowly.

"Not… for the Corpus…" Mitchell D29 said weakly. "They wanted results, not pretty shows. And they wanted them fast. We got replacements every so often and had to train them up, but…" He paused as Olim raised a hand.

"Who did you start with?" Olim asked, his posture intent. "Who do you first remember flying with?"

"Anne J45 and I were the first recruits for the squadron." Mitchell D29 said with a shrug. "We got more every so often. They… didn't usually last long. Fighting Grineer is bloody dangerous."

"Don't need to tell _me_ that." Olim said with a groan. "And _I_ can hide. Not a lot of ways to hide in a tiny craft that is radiating heat. Not to mention your sensors and all."

"You might be surprised." Mitchell D29 said with a snort. "For as long as people have been coming up with new and cool sensors, _other_ people have been finding ways to spoof them."

"_Spoof?_" Olim asked, confused. "Never heard that word used that way before. What do you mean?"

"Spoof: Confuse. Fool. Degrade." Mitchell D29 said absently as he started searching the huge file of references to the name 'Diamondback' again. "Slang for any means to make to hard for an enemy to see you or engage you."

"Best to know where the enemy is and not let him know where you are until you are ready." Olim said with a nod. Michael D29 looked at him and Olim shrugged. "Same general principles as ground combat. Different executions, but same principles."

"Out of my area of expertise." Michael D29 said with a sigh. "Behind a stick I am relatively good. With a gun? Nope. I much prefer to fly, thank you very much. Not that I am going to now."

"Never say never." Olim said. Mitchell D29 looked at him and Olim smiled. "There are places that need pilots. Just not high performance fighters usually."

"I can't see myself a freighter pilot." The ex-corpus fighter jock said with a scowl. "Sorry. I can't."

"How about a miner?" Olim asked. The other looked sidelong at him and Olim shrugged expansively. "Hard work, long hours. Tricky flying on occasion. But sometimes it pays off."

"And when I try to sell my load and a Corpus bot gets a scan of my face?" Mitchell D29 asked sourly. "What then?"

"I am giving options." Olim said with a snort. "Didn't say they were _good_ ones." Mitchell D29 returned the snort with interest and then froze. "Mitchell D29?" Olim rose when it was clear that the pilot wasn't going to move. "You okay?"

"I dunno…" Mitchell D29 said in a monotone. He sat back and Olim stared over his shoulder at a picture.

The picture was a group of people in flightsuits standing at attention in front of a small craft that just screamed 'fighter' to even Olim's inexpert eyes. The flightsuits were gold. They were standing on a deck and behind them… a starscape shone.

"Orokin Imperial Naval Squadron S-6832." Olim read. "The Diamondbacks. Based on the Battle Carrier Kirov."

"The woman on the far right is Anne J45." Mitchell said, his voice dead. "I am behind her to the left. Her wingman." Olim stared and then exhaled. "This is…" Mitchell D29 swallowed hard. "This is a memorial plaque. Showing all of us. We won a medal… all of us… Posthumous."

"The Diamondbacks were awarded the Orokin Naval Star as a unit for saving the Imperial Battle Carrier Kirov from an overwhelming attack by Separatist forces where all members of the squadron were killed." Olim read the caption slowly as Mitchell D29 sank into his seat. But… The Tenno stared at the woman who stood a little in front of the group, her face lean and hard. And familiar. "That is _Li_." Olim said, his voice hoarse.

"Commander Li." Mitchell D29 read slowly. "Squadron leader. Killed in action. Body recovered and buried with full military honors. How can she… be alive _and_ a Tenno? If she was _dead_ and _buried_?"

"Good question."


	7. Chapter 7

**Touch and Go**

Li woke suddenly, aware of a difference. Her body felt… off. She was… floating in something. She felt… calm, but…

"Li?" The voice was familiar. Alicia. "Li, talk to me."

"They took my legs." Li said slowly. "Why did they take my _legs_, sister?" She said plaintively.

"Oh Li. They were damaged beyond repair." Alicia's voice sounded as if it were going to break. Something gripped her hand and gave a squeeze. "The radiation treatment is almost done, Li." Alicia said quietly. "The radiation has been swept from your body. The organ damage has been dealt with."

"What's the use?" Li asked, her own voice taut. "If I can't fly?"

"Li." Alicia's voice turned harder. "You can't fly right _now_, no." She said sternly. "But the future is anyone's guess. You heard what Iriana told you."

"She is a healer." Li said softly, trying to open her eyes. They wouldn't. "She would tell me anything to keep me from hurting myself. Why can't I see?"

"Two reasons." Alicia said as the hand holding Li's gave another squeeze. "First, you are floating in a tank filled with several fairly reactive chemicals. Eyes and reactive chemicals don't usually mix, sister." Despite everything, Li had to chuckle at Alicia's wry tone. Which was probably the point. "Two? You are not ready."

"Yes, I am." Li said with a half-hearted snarl. She felt… drained. Empty. "I need to see it. Them."

"Li." Alicia said with a sigh. "Iriana didn't lie to you. She wouldn't. She _lost_ her arm and a regen treatment grew it back. We are going to try something similar for your legs."

"I have never heard of anything like that." Li said after a moment of trying to comprehend that. Her fuddled mind was slow. "But I need to…" She tried to jerk her hand free of whatever was holding it, but the grip tightened and she was too weak to extricate herself. "Alicia… I need to see."

"Li." Alicia said in a soft, but commanding voice. "You can't right now. Your time in the tank is almost done. After that? It's Iriana's call." Li jerked her other arm but something else grabbed _that_. "Li, dangit! Don't! You will hurt yourself! Amelia!"

"I need to see!" Li begged as something stung her and she started falling. "Please…? I need to…"

* * *

**A dream?**

Li fell into… pain.

Pain. She was pain. Everywhere and everything was pain. All she could do was curl up and ride the waves of pain that swept through her. She could barely understand voices that came from nearby. And not all of what was said. She floated in and out of waves of pain.

"…and you promised results, doctor." A harsh male voice said sharply. "This piece of meat… not results."

"With all due respect, Your Eminence..." An oily female voice replied. "…things are proceeding as planned. The physical damage is... The mind… pliable and she is. It took some time to break her, but we succeeded. …ready." Something changed and the pain receded.

"The senseless puppets of that golden enchantress are pushing hard, doctor." The first voice snapped. "We need results. Now." Li couldn't move. Things held her down. She couldn't see. She felt wetness on her face and absences in her eye sockets. She had been blinded.

"We are ready for step two, Your Eminence." The doctor said calmly. "If you wish to do it yourself…?"

"Are you _crazy_?" The first voice snapped. "That is the _single most dangerous_ bioagent in the Solar System and you are _twirling_ it around like a _cheerleader's_ baton? Put it down!"

"We are perfectly safe as long as we do not ingest it, Your Eminence." The doctor said, humor in her oily voice. "But this dose will make her what you wanted. A weapon against the Orokin."

"Just do it!" The other snapped. "We spent a great deal of time and effort acquiring this subject. Then breaking her. We need the weapon _now_. The Orokin are on the verge of finding this redoubt!"

Li felt something happen. Something had been pulled from on top of her. She felt cool air blowing across her abdomen, then wetness touched it. Wiped it. An antiseptic wipe? Then something jabbed her in the belly and she screamed. No sound came out of her mouth. She tried to writhe, but things held her down. She… Fire swept from what had to be an injection site and she was screaming, crying, pleading, trying to do anything as the fire accelerated across her body. Snatches of words came to her through the new agony.

"…what is _happening_?" The first voice demanded. "…need a weapon, damn it! …she would turn into a _weapon_!"

"…sure." The voice of the door was not assured now. It was nearly panicked. "…cannot be happening. …should see cellular change by now."

"…the price of failure, doctor?" the voice of the one in charge asked in a menacing tone.

"Not a failure!" The doctor squealed. "…not changing!" The fire within Li ebbed and died, leaving her to sob in whatever held her.

"What are you saying, Doctor?" The commanding voice sounded shaken. "How can she change and _not_?"

"She is like the Tenno!" The doctor said in glee. "You wanted a weapon, your Eminence? _There_ is your weapon!"

"I…see…" The other said slowly. "Very well, doctor. Lucky you. Phase three. Wipe her so we can rebuild her into the perfect tool. The perfect weapon against the Orokin."

"Yes sir." Li felt something else change. She felt warmth play over her skull and… something jabbed her on the back of the skull, but in comparison to the other pains, it was minuscule. "Once the wipe is done, we can program her and put the augmenta- What? _No!_" The doctor suddenly screamed.

"_You were __**warned**__ about __**playing**__ with the Technocyte Virus__.__"_

The voice was awful. Masculine, hard and cold and… Li was incapable of moving but she could shiver from the sheer malevolence. The hate. The rage that… She sighed as something made her relax even as the recognizable sounds of gunfire came from all around. Then…she didn't remember what gunfire _was_. What her name was. She couldn't… remember… The warmth that had been bathing her skull faded as something went crash nearby. She barely felt the thing at the back of her skull being pulled out.

"… My god…" A female voice sounded nearby, shaken. "Simon! She's _alive!_"

"No _time_, Jules!" The cold voice responded. "We have five minutes until this place is… Oh god… She didn't _change_?" The cold voice gasped.

"We can't just _leave_ her here!" The female begged quickly. "Can she _survive_ the transit?"

"I… don't know." The male voice said slowly. "Ma'am? Ma'am, can you hear me?" He snarled. "Damn! Everyone! Grab whatever files you can _find_. We have _minutes_ before this place is a smoking crater. I have got her." Li felt herself flying, floating. "We got you, sister. Better she sleeps through this. Jules?"

"I _think_ this will work to sedate her." The female voice was taut with tension. Something hissed and Li was falling. "Easy, sister. Sleep. It will be better when you wake. That's it, sister." The voice sang softly.

_Sister…?_ Li asked herself as she faded. _What does that mean?_ She couldn't remember what the word meant. Something roused her.

"Tenno…" A soft, pain filled voice sounded from nearby. The doctor. "You can't just leave me…"

"_Watch_ us, monster. Enjoy the minute and half you have _left_ of your life." The female said with a snarl. Then Li was flying again.

* * *

Li woke in a bed. She glanced around wildly, sure she was in pain. But nothing hurt. Or… nothing hurt now. Another dream. It faded as she tried to recall it. She slumped a bit. Her dreams had been…odd of late. Small wonder. She stared down at herself and paused. She wasn't restrained. There wasn't anyone else in the room. She swallowed hard and stared down at herself. She was covered by a heavy blanket. She moved to flip it off. But… She stared at the odd thing that was on her arm. The odd material seemed to be a bodysuit of some kind, but it was… alive? She gasped as she touched it, it was. It pulsed under her fingers.

"It's a protective garment." Li heard Iriana's voice and looked up to see the healer standing at the door. "Yes, it is alive. No, it is not infectious."

"Feels like… Infested flesh…" Li said weakly.

"It's not." Iriana reassured her, coming to sit by the bed. "But they made it." Li went still and Iriana smiled a bit sadly. "It won't hurt you, sister. It's a symbiote. It will help protect your body while you heal." She showed her arm to Li and Li stared as she realized the healer was wearing a similar garment. "At least _you_ didn't have to go into one of their pods. That was…fairly icky even by my standards." She said with a smile. Li smiled back, but it was hesitant.

"Can I see now, Healer?" Li asked in a small voice. Iriana took Li's hands and guided them to the hem of the sheet that covered the reclining Tenno.

"We were very worried." Iriana said quietly. "Radiation damage kept us from being about to regenerate Serene's legs. Your dosage was similar to hers." Li swallowed again and nodded. "But…" The healer smiled. "…we have found some friends with some off the wall medical techniques since then. Are you ready?" She asked gently. Li nodded and gripped the sheet with both hands. Iriana pulled Li's hands and the sheet to the side.

The sight took Li's breath away. The garment went down all the way to… her hips. The sockets looked… empty except for small bulges underneath the odd garment. The tubes and wires she had expected. But the… lack. Nothing physically hurt, but the emotional pain was devastating. She bit back a cry of grief and Iriana gave her hands a squeeze.

"Oh, sister." Iriana said as Li started to cry. She bent down and hugged the sobbing Tenno. "It's okay…" She soothed her patient. "It's okay, dear. Go ahead and cry. It's okay."

"What will I _do_?" Li bawled into Iriana's shoulder. "What _can_ I do? Flying is all I was… I…"

"We don't _know_ if you will be able to fly again or not, Li. The regen has barely started." Iriana said gently. "Right now, you are still very weak. We are very worried about you."

"Worried that I will give up." Li said with a gulp. Iriana nodded. "Part of me wants to. To curl into a ball and die." Iriana looked at her and Li chuckled wetly. "A small part."

"I am here, sister." Iriana said quietly. "I went through this exact same thing, but for an arm, not both legs. We don't know if it will work." Li swallowed yet again and nodded. Iriana grimaced. "If it doesn't? We have… other options. But for right now, your focus _has_ to be healing. The damage to your legs was the worst, but there was other damage."

"How bad?" Li asked, her tone soft and scared.

"Very." Iriana replied. She hugged Li again. "It's okay to be scared Li. But I am going to see you fly again if it is the last thing I do."

"I believe you." Li said after a moment, hugging the healer back. "It's… odd though. I never thought about anything but flying and fighting. It… wasn't… me."

"You are more than your warframe, Li." Iriana said with a snarl. "You are more than your ability to fly." She gave Li a small shake. "Are you going to be stubborn?"

"Probably." Li said with a chuckle. "But not right now. I…" She stared down at her hips again and then slowly, carefully slid the sheet over them again. "Help me?" She begged and Iriana gathered her up.

"That is why I am here, sister dear." Iriana said as the young looking Tenno in her arms broke down and sobbed again. "That is why I am here." All she could do was soothe the distraught woman, but it was enough. It had to be.

* * *

"Li is awake." Mitchell D29 didn't even flinch -this time anyway- as Olim appeared nearby. One moment he was alone in this odd virtual world, the next the Tenno was standing beside him.

"How is she?" Mitchell D29 asked slowly. He didn't know how long he had been in this odd place. It was very relaxing. Part of being an interrogation center, he assumed. It put the one being interrogated at ease.

"She is in shock." Olim said with a sigh. "We are not going to push her for a while. Find anything else?"

"Don't tell me you were not watching." Mitchell D29 said with a snort.

"My sister was watching you." Olim said with a sigh. "And I irritated her, so she is being pouty." Just the thought of a _pouty_ Tenno had Mitchell D29 start to snort and then to laugh. "Go on, laugh." Olim said sourly. "You will meet her eventually, and when you _do_? You won't be laughing."

"Don't start, Olim." A wicked sultry female voice came from nowhere and Mitchell D29's eyes bulged as a human female wearing something that bordered on nothing appeared nearby. "If you start telling tales, I can start on some of _yours_."

"Riana." Olim said sharply. "_Don't_ scandalize our guest."

"Poo." The woman said as a robe similar to his appeared over her. "You are no fun, Olim."

"Big brothers are supposed to be protective." Olim retorted as Mitchell D29 bit back a laugh. "Of course, I am protecting everyone else from _you_…" He looked at Mitchell D29 and shook his head. "Don't encourage her." He begged.

"Wouldn't dream of it." Mitchell D29 said with a gulp. This was just… wrong. Tenno brother and sister? "Ah, Miss Riana, you were watching?"

"Yes." Riana said, her tone gentling as she looked at the ex-Corpus pilot. "I ran some search routines of my own." Olim looked at her and she shook her head. "No new information. Lilly was going to check some… other databases. But she will be a while." Olim nodded.

"I had a question…" Mitchell D29 asked slowly. Olim and Riana looked at him and the pilot slumped a bit. "How long have I been here? You said Li's injuries were bad."

"You sleep a lot here." Olim said quietly. "You don't notice it. One moment you are up and doing something, the next you are out. When you wake, you go right back to whatever you were doing before. You needed it too."

"I see." Mitchell D29 said with a sigh. He shouldn't have expected anything less. He was –technically anyway- a prisoner.

"We haven't _hurt_ you or _done_ anything to your mind." Riana said quickly. "You needed the downtime. Those bloody Corpus butchers' ideas of proper neural connections…" She growled, a scary sound.

"What?" Mitchell D29 asked weakly.

"The methods were flawed. Every time you linked to your ship, it hurt you." Olim said softly. "The med systems in your suit managed to keep you going, but… eventually, they would have been overwhelmed."

"And I would have died." Mitchell D29 said with a nod. "Maybe that is why they decided to… downsize us?"

"Maybe." Olim said with a wince. "Don't know. Don't really care. Someone else wants to talk to you, but she can't come in here. Or… she can, but it would hurt her and we won't allow it."

"Which means we better do it before she finds a way around the docs." Riana said with a sigh. "Cecelia is darned persistent."

"Ready to wake up?" Olim asked gently.

"I don't know." Mitchell D29 admitted. "It's… very calm in here. Part is intended, I am sure. Keep people calm and they make better prisoners." Olim and Riana nodded and the pilot sighed. "I am not one to hide. And I don't like being bored. What do I do?"

"_You_ don't have to do anything." Riana said gently, holding out her hand. Mitchell D29 took her hand and…

* * *

He coughed. His throat was dry and scratchy. His muscles felt as if he had been lying down for a long time. But it was his throat that really hurt.

"Here." A young sounding female voice came to his ears and something small and round met his lips. "Suck through the tube. It's water." Indeed, it was only water, but it suddenly tasted like the best alcoholic beverage Mitchell D29 had ever had in his life. He drank carefully, but did not stop until he was sure his stomach was sloshing. "Good boy."

"Who?" He shook himself a bit and opened his eyes. He found himself lying on a bed in a small room that screamed 'hospital' to him. The room was spartan, the only furniture the bed he was lying in and a chair that the dark haired girl who was sitting beside him had to be in. She smiled at him.

"My name is Cecelia." The girl said with a nod. She wore some kind of full body covering. Not a flight suit, but something similar.

"Mitchell D29." The pilot said more or less automatically. "Um… No guard?"

"He is just outside." Cecelia said with a sigh. "But no, I don't expect you would be dumb enough to try and take me hostage. Not in the middle of a base filled with Tenno." Mitchell D29 gulped and nodded. "See? And they said pilots can't be taught." She said with a wicked smile.

"They said you wanted to talk to me." Mitchell D29 said after a moment.

"I did." The girl said with a sigh. "I do. You see… I know what it is to find out my world, my entire life, was a lie."

"So? What?" Mitchell said sourly. "Everything _I_ know is a lie?"

"No." Cecelia said with a snort. "Just everything you think you know about the _Corpus_. Welcome to a world changing moment. An _intervention_ if you will. Tenno style."


	8. Chapter 8

**Fear**

Li struggled back into the bed with a sigh. The docs had let her have some freedom. She didn't doubt that she was under close scrutiny, but it was greatly appreciated that they let her use the facilities alone. There wasn't a lot of physical pain. Indeed, the parts of her that were still…_there_ felt good. It was the pain of loss. Of feeling so… dependent on others. Even with the fancy motorized wheel chair that the docs had come up with for her, she was still very weak. She wasn't surprised at how weak she was. Just the residual scars that she could still see were bad. They were fading even now, but there were extensive.

Iriana had been kind and patient. The garment that Li wore was… well, amazing was probably the right word. It felt like _skin_, not clothing, but it worked very well as clothing. But just asking it to shrink to it's smallest size so she could shower and having it do as she asked was… odd. That was when she had seen the burn scars on her arms and chest. They were faded, as if they had happened years ago instead of days, but they _were_ extensive.

She was gaining strength. A couple of days ago, it would have been unthinkable for her to get herself into the chair and then into the shower. She still cried a lot, but usually when no one was watching. Or, at least no one was _present_. She wasn't stupid enough to assume that she wasn't under surveillance. But she was never alone. Or never for very long.

"Li?" Iriana's voice came from the door speaker and Li smiled as she turned to the door. "May I come in?"

"Sure." Li said with a sigh. "It's your medical bay, isn't it?"

"Actually, it is the clan's." Iriana said with a shrug as she stepped in. She smiled at Li and moved to check a monitor nearby. "I am a… frequent visitor, but not a member."

"I see." Li said with a small frown. "How am I today?" She asked when Iriana turned to look at her.

"I was just going to ask you that." Iriana said with a snort. "We have had this conversation a few times, haven't we?" Li chortled and nodded. "Was the shower good?"

"Not needing one of you to nursemaid me certainly was." Li said with a sigh. "I know, I know. I am too weak to move far and my emotional stability is fragile to say the least. But… It _did_ feel good to do it myself."

"Which is the point." Iriana said with a grin as she sat by the bed. "Li, you are not an invalid. You are a sister who was hurt in a horrific fashion. You are bouncing back as quickly as any warrior I have seen. Let me see?"

Li nodded and turned her body so that her hips were close to the healer. She did not look as Iriana ran some kind of scanner over where her legs had been connected to her hips. After a moment, the healer pulled the sheet over the reclining woman's chest.

"Well?" Li asked, trying not to press too hard.

"They are growing." Iriana said with a smile. "About as fast as my arm did." She held up a hand as Li's face lit up. "It will take some time, and then… Well… You might need rehabilitation, you might not. I didn't. But…"

"That was an arm." Li agreed. "Not two legs. But you just made my _day_, Healer." She said with a wide smile.

"Glad to be a bearer of good news." Iriana said with a smile that fell. "Li…?"

"Yes Healer?" Li said after a moment. "What?"

"You had a nightmare last night." Iriana said softly. Li froze and Iriana nodded. "The systems alerted us to your distress. You didn't wake and it passed quickly, but… Have you been experiencing oddities?"

"I have been dreaming. More than I ever remember dreaming before." Li said after a moment. "About flying I think. Stands to reason since that is all I think about. But… I don't remember them."

"This wasn't about flying." Iriana said with a sigh. "You were screaming in pain." Li's eyes went huge at that and Iriana nodded as she took the reclining Tenno's hands in her own. Li didn't mind, she was shivering and tactile contact helped a lot. Which is why Iriana did it.

"Did I…say anything?" Li asked after a moment.

"No." Iriana said sadly. "Just shrieks of pain. We were about to come in and wake you when it faded. Just…stopped. Which isn't right. Nightmares don't just stop like that unless a person wakes, and you didn't."

"Did the radiation hurt my brain?" Li asked, worried.

"Not that we can tell." Iriana said with a frown that turned into a quirky smile. "Then again, if your brains _did_ turn to mush, how would we tell the difference with you crazy warriors?" Li had to laugh at that. But then she sobered.

"What do we do, Healer?" Li asked quietly.

"We would like to monitor you closer tonight." Iriana said with a nod. "Just in case. Full array and actual contact sensors."

"Like I am going to say 'No'?" Li was incredulous. Then she yawned hugely. "Ah…"

"Sleepy now?" Iriana asked, her eyes wary.

"Yeah." Li said, sinking back onto the bed. "Monitor?"

"If you don't mind." Iriana said with a nod. "You scared me last night, Li." Li froze, the pain and worry in Iriana's eyes could not be faked.

"I want to get better, Healer." Li said with a nod. "You are here to help me get better. If you think it is a good idea, then…" She swallowed hard and lay back. "What do I do?"

"You warriors are so brave." Iriana said with a smile as she leaned down and smoothed Li's hair gently. The door opened and Li saw Amelia pushing a cart in. "We are going to attach leads to your skull. They will monitor your brainwaves even closer than the room sensors can."

"If I…" Li fought a shudder and continued. "If I have a nightmare, will you wake me?"

"Yes." Iriana promised as she pulled a small thing from the cart and pressed it firmly to Li's scalp where it stuck. It didn't feel bad, but its presence was undeniable. Li closed her eyes as the healer and doctor worked to place others. Then Li yawned again and Iriana chuckled. "Go ahead, Li. It's okay."

Li was smiling as she nodded off.

* * *

"_She goes in tonight."_

"_This isn't right!" A familiar female voice said nearby. Li jerked and started to cry. "Oh, Li… Easy girl… it's okay. Shh… Now you have done it, Simon." No tears would fall through the bandages around Li's face, but she was heaving in fear and shuddering. The covering over her head was tight, but not uncomfortable._

"_Jules, she is not a child." The male voice was harsh. Li cried harder and the man sighed. "Jules… She isn't going to get any better without drastic measures." Li couldn't see, but that didn't matter. She knew these people. Jules was kind. Simon? Not so much._

"_I know." Warm arms held Li and she calmed quickly. "But what you are planning is no better than what those Separatist scum did."_

"_We are __**not**__ going to inject her with the Technocyte virus, Jules." The man said sharply. "We have nearly got her eyes cloned. Putting them in will be tricky, but feasible. Jules, she doesn't remember anything at __**all**__."_

"_That is not true." The female said as she rocked Li. "She…"_

"_Jules." The man's voice was gentle now. "You saw the scans the same as we did. Her long term memory was wiped clean by the chemical/energy reaction. Her short term memory is fine. And now, she remembers what she has learned since we found her. At least you got her potty trained." He said with a soft laugh._

"_Don't. Start." Jules snapped and Li jerked a little. "Sorry Li." The hands holding her rocked her and Li relaxed. "She makes you uncomfortable."_

"_Yes, she does." Simon admitted. "And finding the records… What they did to her was horrific beyond belief. So yes, she is our problem. This is the best solution we have come up with now that the military has buried their hero."_

"_I can't __**believe**__ you did that." Jules said with a soft snarl as Li burrowed deeper into her arms. "I cannot __**believe**__ you cloned a cadaver just to give to the military. I cannot believe they took your word that we pulled her body out. We never did that before."_

"_They were not going to stop looking for her and that put their people at risk. And… well, we couldn't give __**her**__ back, now could we?" Simon asked reasonably. "Not only is she a complete mess, but she is infected. She didn't change."_

"_Yes, she __**did**__." Jules replied with a touch of heat. "You think she __**wanted**__ to be like us?"_

"_No." Simon admitted. "I know she didn't. But that doesn't change the fact that she needs help, Jules. And the best help we can give her is a fresh start."_

"_You want to wipe her mind." Jules said and Li recoiled at the pain in the woman's voice. She put her arms around the odd feeling woman and Jules hugged her back._

"_Jules…" Simon said sadly. "__**All**__ she remembers is the pain. She wakes with nightmares every __**single**__ night. No one blames her, but… How is __**that**__ living? We owe her better. We owe her a chance to get better."_

"_I…" Jules sounded like she was crying and Li hugged her again. "You are right. I hate it when you are right. When?"_

"_As soon as you are ready." Simon replied. "Come on, Jules. Let me take her."_

_Li started to struggle as Jules hugged her again and then released her. Strong hands picked her up, despite her cries and feeble struggles. She reached for where Jules had been and a hand patted hers._

"_Easy, Li." Jules said as another hand caressed her cheek. "Just a short walk__,__ a little snooze and everything will be better."_

_The hands holding her were gentle as they rocked her. She was soothed by the motion and then, she was placed on something. She didn't like the feelings and cried out, but the hand was back on her cheek._

"_Easy, Li." Jules said. The woman sounded in tears. "It… it will be okay…"_

_Warm energy played across Li's skull. A familiar feeling. She screamed and…_

* * *

Li woke screaming. Hands grabbed at her and she struggled, fighting them off, trying to get away, trying to get out of the fabric things that held her. It took some time for her to recognize the voice. Iriana. Her hands were held, but… close. An embrace, not a restraint.

"Li, Li, Li…" The healer was saying over and over. "Easy, easy, girl… it's okay. It's okay." Li gave an incoherent cry and buried her face in the healer's shoulder. "Easy Li…"

"What was that?" Li begged, sobbing. "It felt so real. The voices… the feelings… the fear…"

"I don't know. The readings were…odd." Iriana said softly. "If I didn't know better, I would say it was a memory. Not a nightmare. An actual memory instead of fragments pulled up by the subconscious."

"I don't remember anything like _that_." Li said with a shiver. "But… I knew _them_. Simon wore an Oberon warframe and Jules wore a Nyx warframe… They were my teachers. They were assigned to me when I was old enough… I remember them… But… That was them, but… I was born there. Not… whatever that was…"

"_Where_ were you born, Li?" Iriana asked quickly. A little too quickly, but Li was too emotional to notice.

"I was born in the Citadel on Earth." Li said into Iriana's shoulder. "They raised me. I was an orphan. My parents were dead. They… They raised me. We were… separate. But a family." She said, bowing her head. "I had forgotten… I had forgotten them…"

"I don't know what happened, Li." Iriana said as she eased Li back down onto the bed. Li didn't let go and Iriana leaned down so she wouldn't have to. "But that wasn't a nightmare."

"It wasn't?" Li asked. "Will that happen again?" She pleaded.

"No." Iriana said firmly. "I am going to make sure you sleep and there are no dreams, no memories. Just rest. You need it. Not emotional upsets."

"It felt so real." Li said with a gulp as she released Iriana and lay back. "Jules was always kind. Sad and kind. Simon was hard, but a good teacher. They taught me what it was to be Tenno."

"Good teachers." Iriana said as she readied a hypo. "You are going to sleep until morning. That is nine hours. Then you are going to eat and _then_ you are going for scans. We are _going_ to figure this out."

"Was it something to do with Diamondbacks?" Li asked as she held up her arm. Iriana took it gently and injected her with the skill of long practice. The healer laid her arm down as Li felt sleep rising.

"I don't know, Li." Iriana said gently. "Rest now, we will find answers in the morning."

Li lay her head down wondering.

* * *

"Will you tell her?" Olim asked softly as soon as Iriana left the room Li was asleep in.

"Tell her _what?_" Iriana demanded. "That she was a soldier who was _abused_ as a POW? That she was tortured and _turned_ into one of us against her will? I..." She shook her head. "I can't."

"Healer." Olim said quietly, laying a hand on her shoulder. "_You_ need rest too."

"I know I am not thinking clearly." Iriana said sadly. "But she… she is so fragile right now."

"She needs to know, Iriana." Olim said with a sigh. "Mitchell is asking to speak to her."

"Not D29?" Iriana asked, looking from the Frost Prime to another door, one with a Vauban warframe standing just beside it.

"No. He is talking to Cecelia. And yes, he is a _bit_ irritated." Olim put out total understatement like it was normal. "I don't know if he can throw off the Corpus brainwashing on his own. It is still influencing him, but it is losing ground. Brianna and Amelia are working on therapies."

"I… do need rest." Iriana admitted a bit sheepishly. She had been up since Li had started screaming the night before. It… hadn't been fun. "Thing is, Olim… If her memories are surfacing… Then more will. Tenno techniques shouldn't have left anything to _come_ back. If she… wakes and remembers the wrong things… Or in the wrong order. She may think _we_ did those horrible things to her."

"Ouch." Olim agreed. "Not good."

"I'll… get some sleep…" Iriana said with a sigh as she started to shuffle away. "Notify me… if anything... changes."

_Olim!_ Riana's voice barked into his mind. _Li is awake!_

_What?_ Olim snapped, turning to stop Iriana and then paused. Iriana was dead on her feet. Amelia and Brianna were busy and Alicia was out on a mission. He sighed and stepped to the door. _Is she __**doing**__ anything?_

_Just lying there looking around._ Riana said dubiously. _Are you going to do what I think you are going to do? Now she is muttering something. Name? Rank? Serial number? She thinks she is a prisoner!_

_I need every scrap of information you have on the Diamondbacks and I need it __**now**__._ Olim said to his sister as he keyed his holo projector. An unfamiliar uniform appeared around his warframe as he stepped in the door. "Commander Li?"

_You are not wearing rank!_ Riana advised him quickly. _That would be impersonating an officer. Bad. Go with the truth._

"Who are you?" The woman in the bed said sharply.

"Tenno Olim, Commander." He said quietly. Her eyes narrowed at his uniform and he shrugged. "I try to keep a low profile, Commander." He turned his shoulders to her. "See, no rank tabs. I am not impersonating an officer, just trying to set you at ease. Warframes tend to set people on edge and you have been hurt enough."

"Where am I?" She asked, not moving.

"You are in a Tenno Dojo." Olim said quietly as he moved to stand by the door. "You were badly hurt and brought in for medical care. What is the last thing you remember?"

"Captured, I think." Li said slowly. "I tried to fight… Couldn't get loose." She slumped. "I… I remember…" She shook her head and then her face turned ashen. "No… No…"

"Easy, commander." Olim said sharply. "It's over. You are safe."

"They… they injected me with the virus…" Li said, curling upon herself. "I am… infected… I…"

"No." Olim said gently. "You changed."

"I… I what?" Li asked, her eyes sharp as they stared at the Tenno.

"They hurt you." Olim said quietly. "Then they injected you. Then they tried to mindwipe you to turn you into a weapon for them."

"Blasted Separatists." Li said with a snarl. "Should have nuked them all."

_Her vitals are not changing, brother._ Riana warned her. _She is lying to you. Fooling the room systems too I bet._

_I know._ Olim agreed.

"You have a right to your anger, Commander." Olim said with a nod. "Or should I say, Sister Li?" he asked as he dropped the holo. "How long have you known?"

"Should know better than to try to fool a Cyberlancer." Li said softly. "No offense, but Iriana wasn't going to tell me. I… wasn't sure. The dreams were… fuzzy. The last nightmare pulled them all into blurry focus. It is all bits, pieces. Pain, fear."

"Iriana was right, you do need rest, Sister." Olim said with a nod.

"Am I _really_ your sister?" Li asked, her tone dejected. "Or just a cheap copy?"

"There is nothing _cheap_ about you, Li." Olim said softly and Li was suddenly crying as he knelt down beside her bed. "Nothing at all."

"Stay with me?" Li begged. "I am scared."

_Her vitals are all over the place._ Riana warned. _However she is managing to fight the sedative, she is losing._

"Rest, sister Li." Olim said gently as the woman sank back and her eyes closed. "Your nightmares will flee from me if they have sense whatsoever. I am not a Diamondback, but you earned our respect many times over even before you became kin." Li made a soft noise and fell asleep.

_Iriana is going to be mad._ Riana said with a touch of worry. _You were supposed to call her if anything changed._

_Li _hasn't_ changed._ Olim retorted. _She was just afraid and… no one sane blames her._

_Nope._


	9. Chapter 9

**Reforming**

Mitchell woke up slow. That wasn't normal for him. He usually woke up quickly. But here, now…? He opened his eyes and the room swam into view. The same gray walls he had seen on waking from the odd 'virtual world' that he had been ensconced in. Then the talk with that girl who wasn't one. Then the doc ordering him to drink something to 'relax' and him sliding into a dreamless sleep. Part of him had hoped that when he woke, everything would have been an odd dream. Nope. No such luck.

The things that Cecelia had told him had hurt. A lot. But … they also made sense. He hadn't given a lot of thought to where most of the crewmen he had seen came from. He had known that the Corpus derided cloning as 'flawed' but hadn't really given it much thought beyond that. He had been 'encouraged' not to think about it. She had been kind, but at the same time… adamant. He couldn't go back. He knew that now. If he did… The absolute best that would happen to him was a swift death. He wasn't Mitchell D29 anymore. Just as she wasn't CCX-2 anymore.

"Mitchell?" One of the docs was at the door and Mitchell looked at her. This was Amelia he thought, but he wasn't sure.

"Um… Amelia, is it?" Mitchell asked, then flushed. "I was… a bit out of it yesterday."

"Yes, I am Amelia. I don't blame you for being a bit out of sorts. Cecelia's 'short and concise' talks can be a bit overwhelming." The doc smiled in sympathy as she came close. "How are you feeling?"

"Awake, aware…" Mitchell replied and then sighed. "And very angry."

"Yeah." Amelia said as she checked a screen nearby filled with medical information. It wasn't Mitchell's area of expertise, but the lines were all green, so it was likely good. "I know the feeling." Mitchell looked at her and she scowled. "I had my own run ins with the Corpus and their peculiar brand of 'truth'."

"This is not what I expected from Tenno." Mitchell said slowly. "Not even close."

"Don't let us fool you." Amelia said with a frown. "Most Tenno would have likely killed you. It is what they are. Weapons." Mitchell nodded. "Whatever Li's reasons, she did not. So we will go from there."

"I am kind of glad she didn't." Mitchell said with a nod. Amelia smiled and he did a bit more hesitantly. "What now? Do I still need treatment?" He felt… kind of lost.

"Not really." Amelia said after another glance at the monitors. "Aside for your propensity to do crazy stuff, which I am told is a hallmark of _any_ pilot, you seem to have recovered well."

"How is… um… LI?" Mitchell asked carefully. "I would like to talk to her at some point if possible."

"She is still shocky." Amelia said with a sigh. "She figured out what was happening and well… Our healer didn't want to tell her, so she figured it out on her own. Our healer is a bit upset."

"Aren't… _you_ a healer?" Mitchell asked.

"Well, yes and no." Amelia replied. "I _am_ a doctor. I specialize in mental traumas. Most of our team are specialists in various fields. Odd that we have two mental specialists." She mused. "But anyway… _Our_ healer is special. She is more than we are. More than a doctor. More than a medic. She is…" She shrugged helplessly. "…special."

"Will I meet her?" Mitchell asked after a moment of digesting that. "She sounds like a good person."

"She is." Amelia said with a smile that became a frown. "But she has also been pushing herself too hard. Li's problems… have really upset her."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Mitchell asked, his voice cautious. "I mean, I am stuck here until or unless I can prove that I am not a plant or a spy or anything. Or so I assume."

"You are not a spy or anything. Corpus programming is easy to detect and undo, if time consuming." Amelia's voice was kind. "But… It might help Li to have someone else to talk to. Still no idea where you went into cryo?"

"No." Mitchell said with a frustrated sigh. "I mean, it had to be before or during the battle where the squadron was lost. But nothing I can find has any information on cryo facilities anywhere near where the Kirov was."

"I don't know a lot about navy stuff." Amelia said with a wince. "All of my focus was on being a doctor and then…" She slumped a bit. "The Corpus."

"What did they do to you, doc?" Mitchell was not sure if he should be asking. He didn't doubt Cecelia's veracity. He should, he knew. But it was too much. She knew too much, too clearly. And her grief came through so clearly too. He had only heard the name 'Mari' once, but the bitterness and grief the girl felt was not -_could not-_ have been faked. Amelia looked at him and he shook his head. "I mean… If it doesn't violate any secrets or anything…"

"There are secrets involved." Amelia said with a sigh. "But nothing you can do. Trying to access them would kill you. But… If you must know? I was stupid." Mitchell did not move of speak and she slumped a bit. "I took a job offer that seemed just a little less than 'Too good to be true'." He winced at that and she nodded. "Before I knew what was happening, I was enslaved and merging my mind to a captive Tenno." At that, Mitchell's eyes went huge and she nodded.

"And they… _trust_ you?" Mitchell asked, stunned.

"Not really." Amelia said with another sigh. "The information in my brain is buried too deeply to selectively wipe. I cannot leave Tenno custody or they will shoot me on sight." At that, Mitchell went still. "And I don't blame them."

"You… _want_ them to kill you?" Mitchell demanded.

"No." Amelia said sadly. "I have a little girl that the Corpus made to control me when I proved…difficult. I do not want to leave her. I love her, just as they planned." Mitchell felt his face soften in sympathy, but then Amelia chuckled. "It…didn't work out quite as they had planned. Serene is _not_ someone to anger."

"Must be one _heck_ of a story." Mitchell said with a small smile.

"Yeah." Amelia had a slightly goofy grin on her face now. "Another time when I don't have work. Good news is, I can help. Be a doctor. And I did find a special someone despite everything." She shook herself. "I _do_ have work to do. Cecelia will be by in a bit. Her…partner is out." Mitchell did not ask and Amelia did not offer any more information on that. "As for Li? I will ask. Iriana may or may not agree. But Li might take it into her head to come visiting. If she _does_… don't stress her." She said in warning.

"Yes, Ma'am." Mitchell said laying back down and closing his eyes.

"You are not fooling me." Amelia laughed. Mitchell cracked an eye and she wagged a finger at him. "Be good."

"Who me?" Mitchell said without a hint of a smile. On the outside anyway. "Would I cause trouble?"

"Yes!" Amelia smiled, then she was gone.

Mitchell lay back, contemplating the oddness of the universe. Her he was, a prisoner of merciless killers, who was wishing their staff well. He did not move as the door opened again, but froze when Cecelia's voice registered. It sounded… odd.

"Mitchell?" The girl's face was worried as she looked in the room. "You up for a visitor?" He froze, but then relaxed.

"I was told not to stress her." Mitchell commented. "I'll do my best." He swallowed hard as a chair passed by the girl and entered the room. The face wasn't familiar except from the picture he and Olim had found. But from the missing legs he knew who it was. "Commander." He said sitting up straight.

"Not anymore." Li said quietly, moving her chair so it sat by the wall. "Just Li now. You doing all right?"

"Yeah." Mitchell nodded. "I don't think I said this, Ma'am. Thanks." Li looked at him and he shrugged. "You saved my bacon from being a sand skate snack."

"Well, you saved _my_ bacon from being a Grineer target dummy." Li retorted with a trace of a smile. "I think we are even. Even if you did go _really_ old school to do it."

"Not something I want to try again anytime soon, Ma'am." Mitchell winced in memory. "Hurt like hell and apparently I did a lot of damage when the glider opened." He noted Cecelia enter the room and another Tenno, one he didn't know, just outside the door as it shut. "Necessity is the mother of invention…" He paused as Li laughed.

"…and desperation is an _excellent_ motivator." Li said with a smile. "Cecelia said she talked to you." Mitchel looked at the not-quite-a-girl who nodded. "Any ideas of what to do next?"

"Not really." Mitchell sighed sadly. "Do the _Tenno_ need fighter pilots?" He asked sourly, but paused as Li looked thoughtful. "_Do_ they?"

"Not normally, no." Li replied, obviously thinking hard. "Tenno have always been self-sufficient. We have had to be that way. Even second hand copies like me." Cecelia looked poleaxed, but Mitchell just looked at her. "What?"

"Permission to speak freely?" Mitchell said quietly. Li stared at him and then nodded.

"Granted." Li said cautiously.

"I get that you are hurt." Mitchell chose his words with care. "I get that your world just turned upside down. I even get that everything you _thought_ you knew about your world was just turned on it's collective ear. But _that_ is a pile of _crap_, Ma'am." He said fiercely. Li recoiled and Mitchell actually snarled. "No. Don't you dare! Not after all of that. You are a _Diamondback_! _Act_ it!"

"I…" Li shook herself and then looked at Mitchell quizzically. "You got a _lot_ of recruits through your squadron, didn't you?"

"Too many." Mitchell winced in memory. "I… Even now I cannot remember their names. Just Anne." Li looked at him and he shrugged. "Did they show you the picture?" Li nodded and Mitchell swallowed hard. "She was my wingleader back then. I could tell by how we were standing."

"Wing pairs." Li said softly. "Leader and wingman."

"We alternated." Mitchell's eyes were looking at something only he could see. "We were a good team. I would lead until she got jumped, then we would switch when I went after whoever was attacking her. And then vice versa. None… none of the rookies got it." He bowed his head. "For them, it was all aggression. All 'charge', no thought, just 'attack'."

"Corpus probably viewed you all as disposable." Cecelia moved to stand by Li's chair, her hand coming down to take the sitting Tenno's. "I bet you messed up their spreadsheets by staying alive as long as you did."

"I hope I did _something_ to mess them up, Cecelia." Mitchell felt bitterness rise and worked to tamp it down. It wouldn't help. "Just… watching them all fall like that… Anne was a better pilot than me, no matter what she said. It should have been _her_ surviving."

"Flying is not safe." Li said quietly. "Anything that goes up…" Mitchel nodded and continued.

"…must come down." They bowed their heads in unison. Then Mitchell sighed. "Is there _anything_ I can do? Your…friends have been very kind to me, Li. More kind that I would have ever expected Tenno to be to enemies."

"Olim likes you." Cecelia said with a smile. "So do I."

"You can't _trust_ me, Cecelia." Mitchell shook his head. "Even with the scans you have done, I don't… remember…" Li tensed and he continued. "Olim mentioned scanning deeper…" He paused as Li hissed.

"No." The chair bound Tenno said sharply. "Just… No, Mitchell. You have _no_ idea what it does to a mind."

"Li." Mitchell just looked at her. "Wouldn't it be better to _know_?"

"And when your mind is in _splinters_?" Li demanded. "What then? They can't just _put_ a mind back together, Mitchell."

"Li." Mitchell kept his voice calm with effort. "As it is, I am a drain on your resources. One of your friends has to be on guard when he or she could be out doing whatever Tenno do. Stopping the Corpus from brainwashing other people. Obliterating the _stinking_ Grineer." The hate in his voice actually shocked him for a moment. "What the-?"

"What, Mitchell?" Li asked, looking at him.

"Why do I hate the Grineer so much?" Mitchell wasn't asking Li. He was asking himself. "I… I don't… I don't _think_ I had any first-hand experience with them… before… I flew against them… But… it shouldn't be so… personal."

"Who were you fighting?" Cecelia spoke quietly after a moment. "Way back when?"

"Separatists." Li and Mitchell said in unison. They looked at each other and shared a chuckle. Mitchell made a small motion, but Li shook her head. "I don't remember much more than that. What I do remember… I wish I didn't." Mitchell leaned forward and held out his hand. After a moment, Li took it.

"All we can do is go on, Li." Mitchell spoke calmly, but his words felt… formal. "The past is past. We learn from it and move on. We will remember."

"Diamondbacks forever." Li said quietly.

"Diamondbacks forever." Mitchell agreed. "So, we are now a squadron of two." He said with a smile and gave Li's hand a squeeze.

"More than we were last night." Li grinned as she returned the squeeze. "So… plan?"

"Well, from what little I heard, you need to regen your legs." Mitchell frowned but then forced himself to look at the stumps of her legs. "That is going to take a while even with the wizardry here."

"Yeah." Li was obviously steeling herself, but then she followed his gaze and stared at her legs. "I hate being immobile."

"You are not." Mitchell retorted with a grin. "You are more mobile than _I_ am."

"True." Li managed a laugh. It was a bit strained and she looked away from her legs. Mitchell gave her hand another squeeze and she returned it before releasing his hand. "What do you want to do?"

"Me?" Mitchell shrugged. "I want the same as you. I want to fly. If I get the chance to hurt the Grineer, so much the better. But first I want to know what happened to me and Anne. Olim said I was in cryo, but no one seems to have a clue how long."

"It can be hard to tell." Cecelia flushed as the others looked at her. "Hey, I am a medic in training. I read a lot. Sue me."

"Luckily for you, I am a pilot, not a lawyer." Mitchell snorted and Li matched it. "Can you ask the docs here if it is possible to do a deep scan? With reasonable safety?"

"I can _ask_." Li was more than a bit dubious. "But I can tell you right now that Iriana will not agree. She has an ironclad sense of ethics. If it cannot be done safely, she won't allow it. Period."

"It may be the only way to find out what happened." Mitchell sighed. "Now, I don't mind some risk. I am a pilot after all. But not exorbitant amounts of risk."

"Calculated risks." Li agreed. "We might be able to convince…" She froze as an irate voice sounded from behind her.

"Convince me of _what_?" Mitchell had a moment to see a dark haired woman as she stormed in. "You are supposed to be napping, Tenno Li. As in _asleep_. In your _bed_. Not chatting with someone who is stressing you."

"Iriana." Li sounded resigned now. "I am not stressed."

"Tell that to your vital signs monitors." The woman who had to be the healer said sharply. "Back to bed, Tenno. Now." She commanded. For a moment, Li looked like she was going to argue, but then she just sighed.

"You are a tyrant, doc." Li said as she spun her chair, but then she paused. "Mitchell? I will ask Karl, the clan leader here. Maybe he has something you can do."

"Li." Iriana snapped. "Bed. Now." She glared at Mitchell who raised hands in surrender.

"I didn't say anything!" He protested.

"Good. Don't." The doc growled. It was… impressive. "Move, Li."

"Iriana… One moment." Li said quietly and the doc paused in her almost tirade. "I have to say one thing to Mitchell here, then I will go and sleep. I promise, Mommy." Iriana sputtered, but Li had turned to Mitchell who eyed her warily. "I will be back to talk some more when she lets me out of durance vile." She held out a fist and Mitchell bumped it with his.

"Diamondbacks forever." They chorused.

"Are you _done_?" Iriana's voice was harsh, but Mitchell was sure he caught a twinkle in the older woman's eyes. "Because I have bunch of tests to run on you while you sleep, Tenno Li."

Li just groaned and guided her chair from the room. Iriana glared at Mitchell, but then left in silence. The door hissed shut and Mitchell relaxed a little.

"She is something, isn't she?" Even through Cecelia spoke quietly, Mitchell jumped a bit. She smiled. "She scares me too."

"She is a doc." Mitchell forced himself to relax. It was hard. "On her turf? She is the boss."

"Indeed she is." Another voice answered him and Mitchell went still as a huge warframe entered the room. "She has no patience for people who hurt themselves when in her care. And she cares greatly for Li."

"So do I." Mitchell did not take his eyes off the large and imposing white armored form. "But I have known other docs who were just as pushy. Even the brainwashed Corpus docs are that way sometimes." He laughed. "Most of the time actually. I have seen _executives_ back off from them."

"I bet. They must have a class on that in every doctor school." The newly come Tenno said with a matching laugh. "Anyway, I heard part of what you said. Are you serious about the deep scan and wanting to hurt the Grineer?"

"Yes sir." Mitchell nearly sat at attention now, but the Tenno just waved him to relax.

"Well, we _might_ have a job that is right up your alley."


	10. Chapter 10

**Afterburn**

"I protest." Iriana snapped for about the fifth time. "This is a bad idea."

"Doc…" Mitchell would have shaken his head if it hadn't been strapped down. "Strapping myself into a tiny spacecraft composed of mostly plastic loaded with fuel, high energy reactors, EMP warheads –which are micro sized _nuclear_ weapons by the way- and all _kinds _of delicate circuitry that breaks if I _sneeze_ at it -all built by the _lowest_ bidder- is a _bad_ idea. This is nowhere _near_ as bad." Chortles went around the room at that.

The room only seemed to be full. It wasn't really. Three medical professionals, Li and the one that had learned was named Karl were the only ones present. Cecelia had bowed out and with the huge white warframe present, no one seemed to think another guard was needed. Not that Mitchell was going anywhere. He was strapped down completely and had even had tubes put in to take care of plumbing. Whatever this was going to do, it would take a while.

"Mitchell." Iriana was trying to keep a smile off her face and mostly succeeding. "This is going to hurt like nothing else you have ever encountered. You don't need to do this." She nearly begged as Amelia moved a menacing looking device so that it sat over Mitchell's face.

"I disagree, doc." Mitchell was committed. He had made his decision. "I need to know. I can't get past the blocks in my head. You _can_."

"Cryo-nesia is not a block." Iriana protested, but she was shaking her head. "There may not be anything to recover, Mitchell."

"I need to know, Iriana." Mitchell said simply. He turned to look at Li and smiled at her blank expression. "We need to know."

"I don't like this." Li's voice was soft as Iriana looked at her. "But… We do need to know. And… It is not like the scanner actually does damage."

"No." Iriana admitted, manifestly against her will. "But it doesn't change the fact that it hurts like hell. Every scan we have done has had the subject screaming, Mitchell. Every _single_ scan."

"You have told me the risks." Mitchell did not take his eyes off Li and the other Diamondback nodded fractionally. His voice was quiet but firm. "I accept them."

"Very well." Iriana winced but then nodded. "We are going to take precautions. You are more fragile than most we have done this on." She held up a mouthguard. "You will use this." The words were not a suggestion.

"All I ask is that if I _do_ turn out to be some kind of long term Corpus plant… Don't make Li do it." Li jerked at the pilot's words, but subsided as what Mitchell had been told was a Rhino warframe nodded. "Ready." He said, relaxing.

"I am not." Iriana's voice was about as sweet as a lemon, but then she stepped forward and slipped the mouthguard in. Mitchell bit down and then Iriana strapped his jaw shut. "You want a cover so you can close your eyes?" She begged. Mitchell grunted a negative and Iriana sighed. "You are as stubborn as a Tenno, you silly man." Mitchell chuckled with her and she stepped back.

Mitchell took a deep breath as energy started to fall. It was warm, but it didn't hurt. At first. Then it started to burn. Then the burn became a pain and the pain…

* * *

**The Past**

"DBacks, this is DBack Lead. Stand by for new orders."

Mitchell jerked in his cockpit as the voice of the new leader of the Diamondbacks came over the com. It still hurt. He had flown with Commander Li since the day he had first been given his wings. She had been more than a leader, more than a mentor. Her loss… It left a gaping hole in the middle of the squadron that she had been instrumental in whipping into shape. They had gone from a gaggle of hotshots, each sure that he or she was the hottest things behind the stick and anxious to prove it to a finely honed military machine. To be shot down and captured was a risk that any polite knew. Bur what had been done to her…

It wasn't every day that a _Tenno_ recovered a body and from what he had gleaned from scuttlebutt, the _Tenno_ had been upset by what they had found in that Separatist stronghold before they blew it to hell. No one was saying why, but Mitchell had suspicions. Tenno did not leave their secretive Citadel very often. Indeed, he had heard of fewer than _five_ times they had been seen in his thirty three years of life. The _one_ thing that he remembered from every single occurrence… Someone had tried to study, manipulate or just use the Technocyte virus. _That_ horror… Tenno did not allow that. At all. He shivered a bit and then focused on his controls.

"DBack Lead, this is DBack Ten. What is the word?" One of the newer pilots asked.

"When I know, _you_ will know, DBack Ten. Clear channel." Diamondback Lead's words were curt and Mitchell bit back a smile. Lieutenant Commander Anne was just as strict as Commander Li had been.

He had been a newbie pilot once himself and made some spectacular gaffes himself. But he had learned. He had to admit that these new pilots were far better than he himself had been when he had shown up, full of fire and the wisdom of ignorance, to fly with this squadron just after it had been formed. But that fire had been knocked out of him as he had learned in the harshest school imaginable. Space combat had no medals. No awards except survival. You lived or you died. The environment, the enemy, it was all a big crapshoot at times. Anything in a vacuum could and _would_ kill you if you let it.

Mitchell had thought Li a stern and unforgiving taskmistress when he had first arrived, but it wasn't until his first fight that he realized that she had actually been just as green as the rest of the squadron. Half of the birds that had gone out hadn't come back. The Orokin J-97 fighters that the Diamondbacks flew were state of the art, but that wasn't always a good thing. The Separatists were flying obsolescent pieces of junk but they had so many of them it simply wasn't funny. It didn't help what they did to get pilots.

Cloning was a bad idea. Even Mitchell knew that. He had no idea _why_ the Separatists wanted to be apart from Orokin. From what he understood, the current empress had actually let them separate themselves instead of going to war. But that had just made them bold. They had struck a dozen small colonies and either killed or enslaved all of the occupants before the Orokin realized the threat and responded. But responded they _had_. Dozens of ships had been designed, built and commissioned in a matter of months. Crews had been found for them along with the myriad fighters that went along with them. The Kirov –named of an old Earth battlecruiser- was the pride of the Orokin navy. Well, it helped that she was sole surviving battle carrier now.

The problem with recruiting so many people so quickly was that none of them had been ready for combat. None of the naval personnel, none of the fighter pilots, no one at all had been prepared. The term was 'baptism by fire'. In the very first battle, no less than three of the mighty battle carriers -the Enterprise, the Ark Royal and the Graf Spee- had been destroyed in a matter of minutes. The losses among the fighter squadrons of those ships had been around _eighty_ percent. But the survivors had learned. Oh yes… they had learned. Always outnumbered, but _never_ outclassed, the Orokin forces had recovered from the disastrous first engagement, learned their lessons well and driven the point of a spear directly into the heart of the enemy controlled area. The Diamondbacks had been the tip of that spear.

Mitchell was…tired. He was still as sharp as ever when flying, but when not? He was always off. The docs said things like 'Post Traumatic Stress Disorder' or 'Combat Fatigue' but he wasn't having nightmares or anything. He was just tired. He had been with the Diamondbacks from the beginning, one of _four_ survivors of the first group of sixteen brash kids who strapped on flightsuits and went out to annihilate the enemy full of arrogant bravado. He had been one of _six_ people who made it back to the Kirov before the ship had retreated, leaving pilots to be taken by the enemy, but preserving their chance to fight another day. He was-

"DBacks, this is DBack Lead." Anne's unhurried voice came over the com. "It is official. The Jolly Rogers got the _Conquistador_. Scratch one flattop." A cheer sounded over the com. But then she spoke again. "That is the _good_ news."

Mitchell tensed. That _was_ good news. The battle carrier _Conquistador_ had been a thorn in the side of the Orokin forces since day one when the fleet it had been part of had launched a wave of kamikaze fighters, each armed with nuclear weapons at the Orokin fleet. Dozens had been shot down, but an even dozen had gotten through the green fighters and point defense crews. The Orokin fleet had been savaged. Each surviving enemy fighter had sought out an Orokin ship and rammed it. The casualties had been… horrific. Then the _Conquistador_ had launched an attack deep into Orokin space, and it's tactics had been brutal. They had targeted any Orokin facility, armed or no and they preferred to use nukes. But then the navy had gotten it's act together and pushed into Separatist space. The _Conquistador_ and it's sister ships, the _Khan_ and the _Senator_, had been dangerous enemies. The Orokin fleet had destroyed the _Senator_ first, then the _Khan_. Now they got the _Conquistador_. But…

"The _bad_ news is that they punched everything they had before the Jolly Rogers hit them with a full torpedo strike." Diamondback Lead said into the silence. "The Rogers, the Sharks and all the others got a piece of them, but they boosted at max. Heading our way." For the Kirov. The Separatists hated the Kirov. And the Diamondbacks.

"DBack Lead, DBack Sixteen." Mitchell stayed calm. Calm was good. Panic got people killed. "Numbers?"

"DBack Sixteen, DBack Lead." Anne was cool as ice. "The Conquistador launched a full wing before she blew." Mitchell felt his guts freeze. A Separatist wing was _eighty_ fighters. "Good news is that before the Seps broke the engagement, the others took out sixteen. Bad news? They got odd readings from the ones that blew."

"DBack Lead. DBack Ten." The rookie sounded a bit scared. No one would blame him. Twit him for it when they landed, sure. Blame him? No. "Nukes?"

Nuclear weapons were bad, but in space, not nearly as bad as in an atmosphere. Explosions did not propagate well in vacuum. Admittedly the radiation would not be fun. Fighters mounted little shielding.

"DBack Ten, DBack Lead. Unknown at this time." Lead remained calm and professional. "Assume formation Zed." Mitchell nodded slowly. Zed was a wide spread formation that would mean any big explosions wouldn't get more than one ship per hit. "We have to hold these guys until the other squadrons get here." The Diamondbacks were set for Combat Space Patrol, defending the Kirov. They had done all sorts of missions during the conflict, but they excelled at knocking down enemy fighters bent on taking out their carrier. "They have a velocity advantage but we know where they are. Kirov is painting them for us, we will engage beyond visual range."

"Roger Lead." DBack Ten's voice calmed as his training took hold. "We are with you, Lead. DBack Ten, clear."

"DBacks, DBack Lead. This isn't going to be pretty, people." Anne said calmly. "But we are who we are. Who _are we_?" She called.

"Diamondbacks forever." Mitchell said into the com as it erupted with the squadron battle cry.

"Diamondbacks! Go burner!" Diamondback Lead called and Mitchell shoved his throttle all the way forward, the prodigious acceleration of the tiny fighter overwhelming his inertial compensators for a moment before they stabilized.

"Let's kill some Sep clones." Mitchell said to himself as he checked his system. "End this and then maybe I can get back to barnstorming." He had always loved flying. As a kid, he had worked with his dad to restore a vintage airplane. The Gloster Gladiator wasn't a fast plane. It wasn't a pretty plane. It didn't matter. He loved it. He hoped to get back to it someday. To fly just for the thrill, not to kill others.

"DBack Sixteen, DBack Lead." Anne's voice came over the com and Mitchell paused. That was private channel.

"DBack Lead, this is DBack Sixteen. What's up, boss?" Mitchell asked. His screen was lighting up with enemies. Far, far beyond normal engagement range, the Kirov's powerful sensors were painting the enemies. It would be a shooting gallery as long as the squadron's missiles held out. Which wouldn't be long. There were a _lot_ of enemy pips on his screen.

"The tech weenies think they have an idea of what the Seps are going to do." Diamondback Lead said quietly. "It's not nukes."

"Then what are they?" Mitchell asked.

"Not entirely sure, but the techs seem to think they are some kind of bio weapon. Not Technocyte, but… something." Mitchell felt his guts go form cold to a sinking mass as Anne spoke. "Problem is…" She trailed off and Mitchell swallowed hard.

"If we get into furball, we could _all_ get exposed." Bioweapons were bad. Mitchell tried to keep his tone level. It was hard. "Lead…"

"I can't order this, Mitchell. I _can't_." Anne's concern was clear in her voice. "We have done so much, come so far. I can't send the squadron into that, knowing…"

"Lead." Mitchell said softly. "What would _Li_ do?"

"You… _bastard_." Anne snarled at him and then sighed. "She would do the job. Should I…tell them?"

"No." Mitchell's reply was instant. "We are outnumbered enough as it is. We don't need any more distractions. Who knows…? Maybe it has a cure. The medics have a lot of stuff and a lot of skill with Sep bioweapons now." Too much.

"Mitchell…" Anne swallowed hard. "I…"

"DBack Sixteen has your wing, DBack Lead." Mitchell's tone was final. "Engagement range coming up. Call it."

"Roger." Diamondback Lead's words were cold now. "Diamondbacks! Lock them up!"

Space was big. It had been said, many times, by many people. But it was true. The sheer distances involved in interplanetary combat boggled the mind. Whereas a twentieth century dogfight might take place over a hundred square miles, space fighter fights stretched over thousands or _millions_ of kilometers. Every space fighter carried both guided and unguided weapons. They also carried the means to defend themselves from guided weapons. To a limited degree anyway. There was only so much you could pack into a small spacecraft.

Mitchell keyed his missiles live and selected a series of enemy ships. The screen lit up as his compatriots did likewise. But there were so many of them. Separatist point defense wasn't great, but it was fairly effective at times. They had to fire as many missiles as possible as fast as possible. At least the STS-901 missiles that the Diamondbacks carried didn't need direct hits. They used both radar and infared guidance to home in on enemies, then fired a short ranged high energy laser. The stand-off warhead had a kill range in space of two kilometers. It was more than enough to blast through even the heaviest armor on a Separatist ship. The problem was that Mitchell only carried six of them. Sixteen Diamondbacks with six missiles each. Ninety six missiles sounded like a lot and it was. (_If_ all the missiles worked and Mitchell had _yet_ to see that in combat.) But… Each fighter could only handle the telemetry from four at a time. The Kirov could paint targets at extreme range _or_ guide missiles. Not both at the same time.

"Diamondbacks! Fox Three!" The squadron lead called. 'Fox Three' was an ancient term for 'firing radar guided missile' and Mitchell hit his firing control. He looked away as a bright flare separated from his bird and quickly left it behind. He fired again and again and again, selecting a different enemy target for each.

"DBack Sixteen. Four away." Mitchell confirmed as the squadron net lit up with many missiles arcing towards the Separatists fighters.

A chorus of launch confirmations echoed him and he nodded a little as he saw the storm of death heading for the enemy. Sixty four missiles. Sixty four enemies. If only it was that easy. He sighed as enemy counter fire started picking off missiles as they flew. Maybe someday, someone would build missiles that could evade like fighters. Until then, they flew straight and true. His eyes were cold as half of the volley hit the enemy squadrons and tore gaping holes in them. Five, ten, twenty, thirty enemy ships winked out on his screen. They were out of the Separatists' missile range, but they were committed to enter it. When they did, this would get nasty.

"DBack Sixteen, Fox Three." He called when the last icon for an active missile vanished from his HUD. He fired both remaining missiles and checked his guns. He was going to need them. Then his heart fell into his boots as his screen lit up again. "DBack lead! DBack sixteen! Contact, 180 mark seven! Another Sep squadron!"

The Separatists had bushwacked them nicely. Suckered the Orokin birds in and got them to fire off almost all their missiles while another force moved to flank. The flanking squadron must have broken off as soon as they got out of range of the other squadrons and before the Kirov had them on scan. Sudden red lights filled his HUD as missiles locked on.

"Incoming!" Diamondback Lead called. She swerved her fighter to the side, Mitchell matched her maneuver, staying with his wing leader. "Second flight, take it to Force One. First flight, on me!" Eight of the small Orokin fighters continued on course, the other six turned with their leader and her wing. None hesitated as they charged the new enemy.

_Diamondbacks forever!_


	11. Chapter 11

**Catapult**

**The Furball**

Mitchell slammed to the side, his guns firing as he slid behind and enemy bird that was trying for a shot on his wingleader. A three second burst tore the Sep ship in half and he maintained his position with the ease of long practice.

The battle had not gone as the Separatists had planned. Their ambush had been well thought out and well executed. But not all of the Diamondbacks had fired off all of their missiles. They used those missiles as soon as they turned. The short range fire was devastating to the densely packed formation that was a Separatist squadron. More than once in his career fighting the clones, Mitchell had wished for nuclear warheads on his missiles, but it didn't make _sense_ to use them for anti-fighter work usually. The chance of friendly fire was simply too great in the swarming melee that was a space combat furball.

Four Separatist fighters had died in the first exchange along with a Diamondback. Since Separatist squadrons were twelve ships strong; that had left eight fighters to face the Diamondbacks' seven. Not ever _close_ to fair odds for the Separatists. As soon as the Diamondbacks had closed, the Separatists hadn't had a chance. They had tried of course, Separatist clones were nothing if not obedient. Not always _smart_, mind you, but obedient. All seven remaining Diamondbacks took damage, two of them severe. _All_ of the Separatist fighters had died within seconds of each other. But…

By the time First Flight had managed to dampen their velocity, get turned around and accelerate again, Second Flight had hit the main Separatist force. That battle had been far more even. It turned out that some of the 'fighters' were drones. No one knew how many missiles had gone for drones, but there were a _lot_ of Separatist fighters left and sheer weight of numbers meant something when they got close enough to fire their own missiles. Diamondback point defense was far better than any Separatist fire, but even it had limits and two Diamondbacks hadn't survived to close with the enemy. Three gone in all so far and the battle had barely started. Others had damage but every one of the survivors had formed up and gone after the enemy. Separatist ships started dying.

But they did not die easily and they did not die alone. The flanking squadron was gone and huge holes had been opened in the Separatist formations. Not all of the Separatists were engaging the Diamondbacks though. Mitchell kept most of his focus on protecting his wing leader, but he was also watching the battle. Multitasking hadn't been a skill he had developed until he had been in combat. Now? It was second nature.

A Diamondback exploded, followed in quick succession by two more Separatist ships. Quick bursts of fire savaged an entire flight of Separatist ships who stubbornly maintained their formation even as a wing pair of Diamondbacks dove through them, their fire fast and accurate. Six Separatist ships died within seconds of each other, but one of the Diamondbacks turned away, trailing debris and venting air.

"Lead! DBack Ten!" A scared voice came. "My bird is melting! Something hit me and the outer hull it bubbling off!"

"Ten!" Diamondback Leader snapped. "Eject! Now!"

"Roger!" Ten called. "Punching o-…" His com shattered into a hiss of static.

"Ten?" Diamondback Lead demanded. "_Ten?_ Anyone see Ten?" Several negatives came and Anne snarled. "Blasted Seps!"

The battle was far from open sided. The Separatist ships were larger than the Orokin fighters and that made them less nimble, but in vacuum that didn't matter as much as in atmosphere. The Diamondbacks' training counted for a lot, but numbers had a grim quality all their own. Eleven birds remained, ripping into the depleted Separatist ranks. But the math was inexorable. The Diamondbacks were being whittled down.

"Lead, DBack Nine!" The surviving wing of Diamondback Ten called. "Got something weird here!"

"DBack Nine, Lead." Anne replied as her fire savaged an enemy fighter. She arced away from the furball for a moment, Mitchell right on her wing. "Go."

"Ten was hit by something from a flight that hasn't joined the mess." Diamondback Nine said with a snarl. "They are surrounding something. Can't get a clear- Oh my god." The pilot's voice nearly broke.

"DBack Nine, report!" Anne said sharply.

"DBack Lead, this is DBack Nine. They are shepherding a ship-killer missile. My sensors say it's a _blossom_." The other pilot said with a snap. "Moving to intercept." Mitchell hadn't thought his guts could sink any lower. A blossom. The nastiest of nasty weapons. Mitchell didn't have a clue how the weapon worked, just that it did. If that thing got within deployment range of the Kirov, her entire battlegroup would vanish into what was essentially a man-made singularity. It was odd, but the larger a ship was, the further away it would be affected. Short duration, but insanely powerful. The ultimate space combat weapon. Now it all made sense. The furball was a _decoy_. If that thing got past them…

"Diamondbacks, break engagement!" Diamondback Lead called. "Get that blossom. At all costs! _Get_ it!"

Only four other voices acknowledged Anne's command and Mitchell felt his guts lurch even as he realized that the wingmen would let their wing leaders respond. Nine remaining lights on his HUD. Seven friends gone so far and this was going to get worse. Then it did.

"Nine is hit." The pilot who had reported the WMD reported. "Six enemy fighters escorting missile. Acid projectiles… Laced with something I can't identify."

"Nine, _eject_!" Anne snapped.

"Too late, Lead." The pilot's voice was off. Weak. "Bio… Bioweapon… Get… get these scum… Diamondbacks…" His voice became a rasping gurgle and then faded. A distant flare marked the end of Diamondback Nine.

"Diamondbacks forever." Anne whispered over the com as Mitchell did the same. The surviving Orokin fighters arced and reformed a tight formation against what they knew was coming. They had to get that thing or the remainder of the Orokin navy would die. Period. Problem was, they were not the only ones who knew that.

The Separatist fighters they had been engaging had been taken by surprise by the Diamondback's abrupt withdrawal. But now they were closing again and they had missiles left. Several Separatist missiles flew at the formation, but ran into the concentrated point defense fire of all eight fighters and none of them even made it to stand off range. But the physics of the situation worked against the Diamondbacks. They _had_ to maintain their intercept course and then enemy knew that. The enemy knew that course. The enemy ships all accelerated far past what normal humans could tolerate even with inertial compensation. They didn't care if they lived or died. Clones were cheap. When they closed to guns range…

"Diamondback lead! Star Shark Lead!" A welcome sound came. "We are two minutes out! Hold the bastards!" Reinforcements. Mitchell felt relief as green icons appeared on his HUD, but… they were too far away.

"Star Shark Lead. Diamondback Lead." Anne called. "Blossom! I say again, _Blossom_! Fighters escorting it have _confirmed_ acidic bioweapon! We will hurt them. _Don't_ let them get the Kirov."

"Diamondback Lead, Kirov Actual." Mitchell swallowed as the voice of the Kirov's commander came over the net. Captain Melissandra Wilsin-Fuentes was not a nice person, but she _was_ a good commander. "Status?"

"Kirov Actual, Diamondback Lead." The voice of the squadron leader was professional. "Eight effectives remaining. Twenty two enemy fighters left on scan. One ship-killer missile with confirmed blossom escorted by six enemy fighters on heading for Kirov. Engaging."

"Diamondback Lead." The ship commander called. "Break off. You have done enough. Let our point defense have it."

"Kirov, they _have_ to have planned for that." Anne said quietly. "If that thing gets to engagement range the whole battle group is toast. Eight lives versus several thousand. No contest, Kirov Actual. Diamondbacks engaging." For a long moment, there was silence on the line and then the commander came back, her voice taut with suppressed emotion.

"Diamondbacks forever." The voice of the de-facto leader of what remained of the Orokin navy said quietly. "Give them _hell_, Diamondbacks!"

"With pitchforks, ma'am." Anne replied. "Diamondbacks forever." The com channel closed.

Then it was simple mathematics. Sixteen enemy fighters behind them. Six enemy fighters ahead of them. The fighters behind probably didn't have any missiles left or they would have used them. The fighters ahead probably had missiles left. So… why were they not firing? The sixteen fighters behind them were accelerating hard. Whatever was left of the clone pilots after this engagement would likely be scraped up with a spatula. _If_ of course any of them survived the friendly reinforcements that were pouring onto Mitchell's screen now. As he watched, one of the enemy ships chasing the squadron fell out of formation and exploded, engine malfunction probably. Separatist maintenance was a joke according to Intelligence. Maybe if the Kirov painted them? He mused. No, that strike force had likely used all of _their_ missiles in the attack on the enemy carrier.

"Enemy launch!" Mitchell called as he saw missiles separate from the fighters ahead. But… "What the hell?" He asked as his radar suddenly fuzzed. "Lead?"

"Jammers!" Diamondback Lead snapped. "Squadron, status?" A chorus of worried voices sounded. They were blind at long range. "Sixteen, Lead. Any ideas?"

"Lead, Sixteen. No radar." Mitchell reported then he paused. "IR fix dead ahead. They are maneuvering. But… I get more signals moving off. Decoys?"

"Sixteen, Lead. Of course. They are vectoring." The squadron leader snapped. "Jammers and decoys on original course, squad with the missile evades and comes in from another angle. They probably have more decoys instead of ship to ship missiles."

"Lead, Sixteen." Mitchell said calmly. "Oh, for a _nuke_…" That nice tight enemy formation was tailor made for a nuclear blast.

"Sixteen, Lead. Cut the chatter. We don't have a nuke." Anne said with a snort. "We don't _need_ no _stinkin'_ nukes! Diamondbacks? _Charge_!" All eight remaining fighters surged forward. Mitchell scanned his readouts and winced. Their fuel wasn't infinite and all had to be running low now, but if they didn't stop that missile…

"Lead, DBack Three! Enemies on our-!" The warning cut off in static as a Diamondback exploded.

"Diamondbacks! Pour it on!" Anne called. "This is gonna hurt, but we can outrun them."

For a while. Mitchell thought to himself. But the fighters ahead were growing in his scope. He checked his guns and snarled as another icon, another friend, vanished from his screen. Diamondback Four hadn't even bothered to try and evade. At this velocity, it would have rendered her down to goo anyway. But the pilots was doing their jobs. Buying time for the rest of the reduced squadron to reach their objective.

"In range!" Anne called. "Guns, Guns, Guns!" She called and space lit up with six different streams of golden energy. Each touched an enemy fighter and… nothing happened. "Damn, they are shielded! All Diamondbacks, ignore the fighters! Kill the missile!" Another Diamondback exploded, killed by the pursuers or something else? It didn't matter. Dead was dead.

Five streams of energy converged on the missile as the Diamondbacks closed the range. Enemy fire replied. Acidic bioweapon filled projectiles. Then… four streams of energy… Then three. Then two.

"Lead… It's shielded too." Mitchell called. "We can't hurt it."

"Hurt it, no." Anne snapped. "Deflect it? Gear down."

"You are not _serious_…" Mitchell swallowed, but then he sighed. "Always the glory hound, huh, Lead?" A laugh came back over the com.

It was a private joke. When they had first reported aboard the Kirov, both had sworn to outdo the other in earning glory. Then the brutal wake-up call that was war had come, but both still joked about it. His screen lit up with incoming fire but he followed as Diamondback Lead darted for the missile. The enemy fighters had to stop firing. Shields worked well against lasers, not so well against acid filled projectiles. They would have to maneuver carefully to get their shots and the Diamondbacks wouldn't give them the time. The two Orokin fighters dropped their landing gear.

Space craft landing gear was tough. It had to be. It was designed to be hit at high velocity and keep from buckling. But no one in their right minds had ever envisioned this. Both fighters dropped onto the missile and clamped the magnetic strips in the gear to the bulky mass. Those strips were designed to hold a fighter in place on a flight deck. A parking brake, if you will. But they _were_ strong.

"Full throttle and hold it as long as you have fuel." Anne called and Mitchell snapped his throttle forward again. The engines roared. The stars shifted wildly around his canopy but he kept his eyes on the instrument panel. The readouts for velocity and direction specifically. He jumped as something went thump nearby but nothing hit his ship. Lead's voice came again. "Missile has fired it's engine. Keep the throttle maxed."

"Lead if that warhead goes off…" Mitchell said with a swallow.

"We won't know what hit us if it goes off, Sixteen." Lead reassured him. "We just have to… Oh my _god_!"

* * *

"What the F***?" It was a serious breach in com discipline, but _none_ of the Star Shark pilots were going to report it.

They had been forced to watch the disaster unfold. Their own attack had gone off perfectly. The multiple squadrons assigned to the strike had done their jobs with skill and precision. They had expected a response, the Separatists were big on vengeance. But no one had expected _this_. An entire _wing_ of fighters as a _decoy_ to get a WMD close to the Kirov. The precisely planned ambush to split the Diamondbacks' defense. The Diamondback's hopeless charge that was suddenly a lot _less_ hopeless.

"Missile is on a divergent course. I read… three engine flares on it. Two on the main hull." Star Shark Six reported as their attack savaged the suddenly disorganized ships that had been pursuing the Diamondbacks. "Lead, are those what I _think_ they are?"

"Those crazy fools _landed_ on the _missile_!" Star Shark Lead said in sudden jubilation. "They are _pushing_ it out into _space_!"

"Lead!" Star Shark Seven called. "_Warhead separation!_"

"Clear, clear, clear!" Lead yelled. "Get _out of here_!" He put words to action, yanking his ship around and applying max thrust.

"Detonation!" Seven called, but then cheered. "Too far to affect us. Enemy fighters pulled in." Then he paused. "Lead…" He said weakly.

"I know." Star Shark lead said softly. He bowed his head in the cockpit as far as his straps would allow. "They had no chance. Diamondbacks…forever…" He shook himself. "Begin SAR ops. Maybe… Maybe we can find one alive. Maybe."

With bioweapons loose? Doubtful, but they had to try. They had to. They owed the crazy pilots of Diamondback squadron that at the _very_ least. The Green Ear Rebellion was all but over with the last of the Separatist capital ships destroyed. The enemy shipyards had been the first military targets of the Orokin navy's offensive. The Diamondbacks had just _won_ the war. If the enemy had taken out the Kirov, the Separatists could have retreated, rebuilt, cloned more cannon fodder. They wouldn't get the chance now.

* * *

Mitchell tasted blood. That was wrong. Wasn't he supposed to be dead? He shook himself and stared at his console. It was rimed with ice. He was shivering.

"What the hell?" He asked, and was stunned by an answer on the short range com.

"Sixteen. You made it." Diamondback Lead's voice was weak.

"Lead!" Mitchell called. "Are you hurt?"

"No..." Diamondback Lead sounded like hell. "No heat. I am f…freezing. We… both are."

"What happened?" Mitchell begged. "We… I saw the warhead separate. We should be dead."

"D…dunno. Best guess? We are… on a f…fairly low mass object. The engines are g…gone from the missile." Diamondback Lead's teeth were chattering. "M…most of _our_ m…mass… was fuel. Used up. My r…reactor is… gone. Pulled out, I think. Yours?" Mitchell turned his head and saw a hole in his ship, about where the reactor would be. If the massive gravity pull had been focused on high mass objects… the reactors were the most massive things on the small Orokin fighters beside fuel.

"Yeah." Mitchell said. "So no power?"

"No." Anne replied. "One… one thing… The techs added something before… before the last mission. I told them it was… w…was a waste of time, but we c…can… t…try it."

"Some kind of teleporter?" Mitchell felt his own teeth start to chatter. It was a joke, but it wasn't funny. He didn't want to die. Not after all of this. He wanted to _fly_ again.

"N…no." Anne replied. "A p…prototype s…suspension s…system. No idea if… if it will work or not. We w…were the first to… to receive it."

"So… we sleep…" Mitchell felt his eyes start to close and snapped them open. The cold was really getting to him too.

"Problem is… our course is… odd." Anne said with an audible shake. "We are m…moving fast and… the g…gravity slingshot effect of the b…blossom shot us a… long ways. My b…basic calculations say our orbit is… wide. V…very wide."

"_How_ wide?" Mitchell asked, then shook his head. "You know? Never mind. What do I do?"

"Under your left arm rest is… a case. B…big button. P…push." Anne said, her voice weak. "S…see you… on the other s…side, Sixteen. D…diamondbacks… f…forever." A hiss and her com went dead.

"Diamondbacks forever." Mitchell said as his fingers found the button and gave a push. It…didn't hurt.

* * *

-Preliminary report. Corpus Survey Ship _V-2386_-

[Odd mass detected on approach to Pluto facility. This ship sent to check. Two badly damaged Orokin era small craft found fused to metallic mass. No records for such craft or mass available. Significant damage to craft on first inspection. Per standing orders, Orokin craft recovered for analysis. Full analysis to follow. Profit numbs the feeling.]

"What is this, some kind of fighter?" The crew woman asked, staring at the mass of mangled metal. Too small for a true interplanetary craft.

"Nah. Not a drone." Another replied as they carefully cut a section of the metal off for analysis.

"Not _our_ fighter. An Orokin fighter of some kind? And what is it doing way out here?" The first said with a grimace as she too started cutting. Then she stopped as…something hissed. "What the-?"

Both of them jerked back as a section of the ship's hull folded out and back, showing a form sitting in a pilot's seat. The form wore a flightsuit that was covered in ice.

"Ah…" The first said slowly as she stepped forward, a hand held scanner whirring. "Wait a sec…" She froze and then nearly screamed. "This guy's in _cryo_! He's _alive_!"

"Another!" A shout came from the team working on the other ship. "_Two_ survivors? A miracle! Profits be praised!"


	12. Chapter 12

**Δ**_**v**_

((In astrodynamics a Δ_v_ or **delta-**_**v**_ (literally "change in velocity") is a measure of the amount of "effort" that is needed to change from one trajectory to another by making an orbital maneuver.  wiki/Delta-v))

* * *

Cold. So cold. Mitchell was barely aware of anything but the cold. Nothing hurt. He couldn't feel anything but the cold. He could barely hear.

'…in excellent physical shape for humans, Executive. Both of them."

"Well. This is very interesting. Any records?"

"No sir. Any computer systems that might have held records were damaged beyond repair. But… the dating…"

"I understand." The second voice said calmly. "Two _usable_ relics of ancient times. Facinating. And… _fighter pilots_… Hmmm… I see an opportunity here. How soon can you begin Indoctrination?"

"Immediately, Executive."

"Do so."

Mitchell fell into darkness wondering why he felt so chilled. It…wasn't just the cold.

* * *

"Good morning, Mitchell D29." A quiet female voice brought Mitchell out of his troubled sleep. He jerked bit, but sighed and sank back as his body would not support him. Why was he so weak?

"Where?" Mitchell… He shook his head. Mitchell D29 didn't sound right. But for the moment, he needed information. "Where am I?"

"You are in a medical center." The voice said gently. He looked up and a woman in a white suit of some kind was standing nearby. Her face was worried. Nurse. She had to be. "You were badly hurt."

"Hurt?" Mitchell asked, confused. "No… I… I wasn't hurt…" The woman reached for him, but he jerked back. "Get away. ID! Now!" He demanded.

"I know you are confused, Mitchell D29." The voice was soothing, but… wrong. "It's okay. You were hurt. We helped you."

"My name is Mitchell. Lieutenant. Orokin Navy!" Mitchell snapped. "And you are _lying_ to me." He sat up and then rolled away as a silver object appeared in her hand. "Get away from me!" His head spun as his feet hit the floor, but Mitchell was no stranger to nausea.

"Look, we don't want to hurt you." The nurse did not move from her place. "We want to help."

"I don't believe you." Mitchell took a step, and when he didn't face plant, took another. "Where am I, _who_ are you and _who_ is in charge here?"

"My name is Olga F67." The woman just looked at him as he staggered towards what looked like a door. "I am in charge of this medical unit. You are in no danger here. We want to help you. We can help you and you can help us."

"Seps. You have to be Seps. Filthy Sep tricks." Mitchell snarled as he made for the door. It opened just as he reached for it and two large forms in what had to be space suits stood just outside. He… didn't recognize the type. Nor the odd long thin shapes that they both aimed at him but they _had_ to be weapons of some kind. "Go on! Shoot!" Neither guard moved.

"Don't hurt him!" The nurse took a step towards Mitchell, but he backed away, his hands up in awarding gesture. "Mitchell D29, this is not what you think. Come. Come back to bed. In the morning everything will be better." Something… Something in her voice was calling to him, but he shook his head savagely.

"Your filthy clones couldn't beat us!" Mitchell retreated a pace, his back to the wall as the nurse stepped forward again, the silver object still in her hand. "You _won't_ use me!" He wasn't trained in hand to hand fighting beyond what he had learned in Basic training, but he sank into a combat crouch anyway and the nurse paused.

"This is not what you think, Mitchell D29." The nurse said calmly. "We gave you the added designation because that is how we designate our own personnel. We couldn't find any records of you except you name badge. Every computer in your ship was frozen solid, unrecoverable. You don't like clones?" Her tone was…odd. Calm, but… There was something else in it. "Neither do we."

"Where am I?" Mitchell felt faint, but shoved his weakness back. He was no quitter. Instead of answering, the nurse stepped to one wall and hit a control. A large panel opened and Mitchell froze as he saw a planet outside. Close outside. He knew the planet, but had never seen it so close. "Neptune?" he asked, hyperaware that the guards had stepped in and the door had shut behind them.

"You slept a long, long time, Mitchell D29." The nurse's voice was sympathetic. "I know it is a shock. We are not your enemies." Mitchell glanced at the guards and then back at the nurse.

"Could have fooled me." The dryness in Mitchell's tone might have emptied a lake. "Where is my wingleader?"

"She is still asleep." The nurse hadn't moved, but something floating out of a hole in the wall nearby caught Mitchell's eye. It had two oddly shaped wings, both of which seemed to have fans in them. Some kind of drone? Not an Orokin one, that was for sure. "She is going to sleep for a while. But she came through surgery fine."

"What did you _do_ to her?" Mitchell felt rage start to build and tamped it down. Going berserk wouldn't help here.

"We made her a place." The nurse's voice was gentle, soothing. But… "The same place we will make for you. Just relax. We will not harm you." She nodded to the guards and they… left. "We are not enemies, Mitchell D29."

"You are lying." Mitchell snarled, but something flashed and he was suddenly lying on the floor, every muscle twitching.

"No, we are not, Mitchell D29." The nurse stepped forward, the silver object in her hand. "Rest now. When you wake, you will be a new man. A part of the whole that is the Corpus."

Mitchell was screaming silently as the object touched him and he sank into darkness.

Flashes.

Mitchell was floating in something. No, he was on an operating table as mechanical arms with surgical tools moved around him. No, he was sitting in a chair with weird colors playing in front of his eyes. No, he was lying on his back as waves of intense pleasure rolled through his body. All the while, a steady drone sounded.

_You serve the Corpus and the Corpus serves you. Fight the clones. Serve the machine. Kill the clones. Be the machine. The clones are evil. You are a cog in the machine. Defend us from the clones. Trade is our life. Destroy the clones. Profit is our goal. End the clones. You serve the Corpus and the Corpus serves you. Fight the clones…_

He tried to fight. Tried to struggle. Tried to scream. Nothing worked. He was in a gray haze. Nothing hurt, but… he couldn't break free. Everything was gray. Everything was calm. Everything was…good.

"Mitchell D29." The voice woke Mitchell D29 from a fitful sleep. He looked up to see Anne J45 standing nearby. "Are you functional?"

"I am." The Corpus crewman replied. "Do we have orders?"

"We are to report to processing." Anne J45 nodded. "They will fit our neural connections and adjust us to our fighters."

"For the Corpus." Mitchell D29 said as he rose to follow his squadron mate. "Profit numbs the feeling." That didn't… feel right. But Anne replied.

"Profit numbs the feeling."

Mitchell D29 walked beside the F-789 fighter he had been assigned, looking it over. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with it. But there was. Something was missing, but he could not put his finger on what. Every time he tried, his mind shied away onto a new tangent.

"Mitchell D29?" The voice of his squadron leader had Mitchell D29 bracing to attention.

"Anne J45." Mitchell D29 said calmly. "Orders?"

"Not yet." The female Corpus pilot said with a sigh. "I was looking over the specs on the fighters. They look good."

"Everything looks good on paper, Squadron Leader." Mitchell D29 said with a shrug. "In combat? We shall see." Why did those words send a chill through him? He had no idea.

"True." The woman assumed an ironic grin that Mitchell D29 shared. "We should be getting more pilots soon. I was told they are being prepped now. A full squadron." Mitchell D29 nodded, but looked back at the fighter. "Something is wrong with the ships. I feel it too."

"Everything checks out, Anne J45." Mitchell D29 sighed. "Nerves?"

"I don't think so." Anne J45 shook her head. "We need… something more. We are part of a machine, but we are not machines. We need something to believe in. Something to rally behind."

"More than the machine or profit?" Mitchell wasn't sure about that. But… it sort of felt right.

"Yeah." Anne J45 looked from her wingman to the sleek fighter craft and nodded. "I did some research on Old Earth fighter squadrons. We have records. Some." Mitchell D29 looked at her and she shrugged. "They had something called esprit de corps. That is defined as the common spirit existing in the members of a group and inspiring enthusiasm, devotion, and strong regard for the honor of the group. We need something that the new pilots will be able to see and touch. Something they can accept instantly."

"I don't know how the executives will react to that." Mitchell D29 frowned. "But I can see it's advantages. We need to be able to trust one another fully. Did you have an idea?"

"I do." Anne J45 smiled. An image appeared in her hand, a holo. It was a white square with a red border. Inside was a blue earth with a white snake surrounding it. The white snake had red diamonds on it. "This was the insignia of an Old Earth fighter squadron called the Diamondbacks, named for a type of dangerous snake."

"Diamondbacks?" Mitchell D29 stared at the holo and then _he_ smiled. "I _like_ it."

* * *

**The Present**

"By the ancestors…" Li's horrified voice was barely audible past the pain in Mitchell's head.

"Is…" Mitchell gasped as the pain increased. They must have taken his mouth guard out. "Is that _enough_?" He hated the whining note that was in his voice, but he couldn't get past it. His head felt like it was several sizes too small and his teeth ached. The pain was…indescribable. But his psyche hurt worse. To lose so many friends. Again.

"Yes." That was Karl, the huge Tenno in the white warframe. "Iriana, Amelia… Take care of him."

"Naptime, Mitchell." Amelia said gently as a blur came close. A hiss sounded and he was flying. He smiled as he flew into dreams.

* * *

Mitchell was restless. He wanted to _do_ something. But he had no idea what. The residual pain from the brain scan had knocked him for a loop for a whole day and the docs had been very careful with him afterwards. But now, he was bored. So he had asked Cecelia's help in putting together a recognition guide for Grineer and Corpus spacecraft.

"Gratak." Cecelia looked at the pad she held and a holo of a ship appeared above it. Obviously Grineer in design.

"Grineer light interceptor." Mitchell replied instantly. "Basically two really big engines and four guns. Not much else. Designed as a long range, high speed gun platform."

"Doesn't sound very useful." Cecelia winced. "Or very survivable."

"You have to remember…" Mitchell worked a keyboard, imputing data as he recalled it. "Grineer don't feel the same way most people do about pilots. The pilots are as disposable as missiles. More so actually." He looked at the other person in the room and sighed. "No offense."

"None taken." Cora nodded. "It's the truth. Lives are cheaper than missiles to the Grineer. You okay?" She asked when Mitchell looked away quickly. She had come in when he had asked for help from the docs in breaking the Corpus programming that he hate and kill Grineer. It had been…a bit of a shock, seeing her arrive in Tenno robes.

"I don't know, Miss Cora." Mitchell felt shame. "You have been very kind in helping me break the programming. I am trying to be…-" He trailed off as Cora raised a hand.

"You reaction to me is perfectly justified." Cora's voice was quiet and matter of fact. "Most Grineer are brutal barbarians with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Their entire society is based on the strong taking from the weak." Her tone was matter of fact. "Some may ape the trappings of honor or decency, but it is an _act_. I didn't know what honor _was_ until I met Karl Sensei." She shook her head. "I have learned so much, about so many things, since I came here than I ever imagined. I may never be Tenno, but at least I am no longer a useless pile of dross."

"_Dross?_" Cecelia exclaimed. "You are not dross!" Her face was fierce as she looked at Cora who shrugged. "Don't you dare call yourself that!" She commanded.

"Okay. I won't." Cora was still matter of fact. "The Grineer have no use for failures though."

"Their loss." Mitchell grunted and Cora smiled at him. She really didn't look much like the Grineer he had seen in training vids or the brainwashing. "I was always told that a stupid enemy was a gift. And that _is_ pretty stupid."

"Very true." Cora had a wicked smile that seemed very out of place on her face.

"Brintrac?" Another holo appeared over Cecelia as she spoke the guttural sounding name.

"Assault shuttle." Mitchell noted another set of information on his own pad. "Two forward guns, two turrets, about a squad of troops if I recall correctly." He looked at Cora who nodded.

"Depending on armor and weapons, up to twenty troops." Cora agreed. "Not all that great in a dogfight."

"No, but heavy armor and those turrets will hurt." Mitchell frowned. "Those turrets make a big difference."

"Do the Corpus have assault ships?" Cecelia looked from Mitchell to Cora and back. "I mean… they have to, right?"

"The Corpus are not…" Mitchell paused and then shook himself. "Or they _were_ not focused on purely military matters. Oh, they can _do_ assaults." He shrugged as Cora smirked. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. They are not _all_ intended as soldiers like the Grineer are."

"There are non-combatant Grineer." Cora's soft voice had both of the others freezing. Something in it… "_Pray_ you never meet them."

"_Non_-combatant?" Mitchell's voice was slow and careful. "As… in…?"

"The medical staff who run what pass for hospitals amongst the Grineer." Cora's voice was flat. "As in, they take wounded and dead Grineer and feed them into protein vats to make new Grineer. And no, they don't always wait until the wounded die." Cecelia's eyes went wide and Mitchell swallowed hard as Cora nodded. "They call themselves 'Reclaimers'. They are also trained as interrogators. But that is their _hobby_, not their _job_."

"Just when I think I know enough to be sickened…" Mitchell swallowed hard. "Personal experience?" Cora nodded. "Sorry." He said sincerely.

"It was… bad." Cora's voice was quiet, melancholy. "But I survived." She jerked as Cecelia rose, stepped to her side and hugged her hard. "Cecelia!" She protested a bit sheepishly.

"I promise not to tell anyone." Cecelia smiled as she stepped back. "That would ruin your 'me tough warrior woman' image." Mitchell had to chuckle at Cora's expression.

"She is going to get you too." Cora warned him. Mitchell just shrugged. "Mark my words, Mitchell, she _will_." Cecelia smirked as she knelt again.

"I know." Mitchell smiled. "But I have no ego to deflate now."

"I give it… Ten minutes." Cecelia had a wicked smile on her face now. Mitchell shivered dramatically and Cora chuckled at the byplay. "So… D-54?" Another holo appeared over her pad. This one had Corpus lines.

"Corpus drone deployment ship." Mitchell smiled a bit at her antics, but his heart wasn't in it. "Not a combat ship, although it has a pair of plasma guns in automated turrets for light defense. It's intended to carry drones that act autonomously for scouting although it can be reconfigured to carry mines or more specialized munitions."

All three paused as the door to Mitchell's quarters –no longer a prison, there was no guard now- opened and the huge white warframe walked in. Mitchell jumped to his feet and straightened to attention automatically. The old reflexes came back easily.

"If you salute me, I am going to sic Cecelia on you." Karl's voice was not joking and Mitchell shook his head.

"Not in uniform." Mitchell smiled, but it faded. "But you _do_ deserve my respect, Karl Sensei." He said quietly. Karl shrugged and Mitchell nodded. "What can I do for you?"

"Two things." Karl produced a pad of his own and a holo appeared over it. Cecelia and Cora both stared at the odd looking small craft. "Have you seen this design before?" Mitchell scrutinized it and shook his head. "Dang, I wish you had."

"Is that a Corpus design?" Mitchell's eyes never left the holo and his words were careful. "It… doesn't look like Corpus."

"Looks more Grineer than Corpus." Cora hadn't moved when Karl had appeared. "What is it?"

"A new fighter class." Karl waved for Mitchell to relax and the pilot did. A little. "All we have been able to find out about it is it's code name. 'NightNova'."

"'_NightNova_'?" The incredulous word came from three throats. The others looked at Mitchell who shook his head.

"If it's a code name, then it's likely a first run prototype. Probably only one or two of them at most." Mitchell sounded a bit dubious. "May I?" He asked and Karl handed the pad to him. He studied it closely. "Stealth configuration. Single pilot. Maybe a weapons officer or radar operator if they don't mind small spaces. Two engines. Two missile pods forward, two aft. Four external hardpoints for heavier ordnance. Two gunpods in limited traverse mounts forward, probably 180 degrees of traverse…" Then he shook his head. "Beyond that, can't tell much." He handed the pad back to Karl.

"More than we had ten minutes ago." Karl made a note. "There is…another thing." Mitchell looked at him and Karl sighed. Was the Rhino _uncomfortable_? "A medical transport left the Corpus fleet and boosted for Neptune." Mitchell looked at him and Karl slumped a bit. "We didn't get much, but we did get an image of it's passenger."

"_Passenger?_ Singular?" Mitchell felt stunned. "Corpus don't use an _entire_ medical transport for _one_ person."

"They did for Mari and me." Cecelia corrected him quietly. "Whoever it is must be important to them."

Instead of answering, Karl passed Mitchell the pad again. He stared at it and froze. On the screen was a form on a stretcher, with armed guards arrayed around. Medical gear was piled around the form on the stretcher, but the face was clear though a transparent dome.

"Anne."


	13. Chapter 13

**Maneuvers**

"How is that even possible?" Iriana sounded as stunned as everyone else. Mitchell was still staring at the holo, utterly dumbfounded. He knew other people had come in, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from the holo of Anne sleeping on a gurney heading into a Corpus ship. "If she was in the fighter? Mitchell said it exploded."

"Took… took a burst of fire and went boom." Mitchell barely recognized his own voice. "No ejection. Then again… Corpus ejection seats are a joke. Was amazed _mine_ worked." He didn't look up as a hand touched his.

"Mitchell, you okay?" Li was worried. About him.

"No." Mitchell swallowed hard. "We were…all we had. All we could trust. The brainwashing was strong, but… We cared for each other. We protected each other. It was… all we had." He slumped a bit. "I failed her."

"Bull." Li said sharply. He looked up through tear clouded eyes to find her sitting right beside him in her chair. "Mitchell, your high command screwed you. You obeyed orders. You did the impossible, _twice_." Mitchell stared at her and she shook her head. "Four to nine and you took them all down. _One_ to nine and you _survived_!" She snorted in self depreciation. "Admittedly, with a little help."

"Yeah." Mitchell had to chuckle at her wry humor. "I have to help her, Li." He stared around the room and swallowed as he realized it was full of people. Karl was the only one in a warframe, but all of them wore the robes that he knew now were Tenno garb. "I have to."

"Mitchell…" Karl's voice was gentle. "That scan is a week old. It took a long time for our sources to get it. By now, that transport is halfway to Neptune, which the Grineer have invaded."

"They _what?_" Mitchell demanded. "That was Corpus _HQ_ for R&D! The defenses there…" He broke off as Karl cleared his throat.

"…couldn't stand against a pair of Fomorians." Karl's voice was quiet. Mitchell went still. No, not even Corpus defenses could stand against such monster ships and their massive cargoes of Grineer troops. Not to mention the myriad galleons and support craft that would have accompanied the Grineer super ships. "There is still widespread fighting going on, but the Grineer are solidifying their foothold."

"I guess they didn't appreciate the Corpus attacking Phobos." Mitchell tried for a joke, but it fell flat. "I… Give me a fighter. I'll go get her."

"Mitchell…" Li's voice was soft. "Tenno don't use fighters."

"I can't just _leave_ her in their clutches!" Mitchell snapped. "Who knows _what_ they will do to her?" Amelia and Cecelia both stiffened and Mitchell paused. "Amelia? Cecelia?"

"We had wondered by the Corpus allowed a fertile female to go into such danger." Amelia's words were slow and careful. Mitchell stared at her, confused. "Mitchell, the Corpus do not just kidnap and brainwash people, although they do it a lot." Mitchell just shook his head, still confused. Cecelia got up from where she had been sitting and moved to sit beside Mitchell.

"Mitchell." Cecelia touched Mitchell on the arm. "How do humans reproduce, normally I mean?"

"Is this about the birds and the bees?" Mitchell had no idea where this was going. All eyes turned to Amelia when she chuckled. Mitchell stared at her and she nodded. "What?" He asked.

"Mitchell, the Corpus are not stupid." Amelia's tone said otherwise, but she continued. "Shortsighted, fanatical, obsessed with their profits and oblivious to anything like _decency_ or _ethics_, but not _stupid_." She got up as well and walked to where Mitchell was sitting, but did not sit or touch. "They do not clone, but they need to make mores humans. How will they do that?" Mitchell stared at her and his face slowly paled. "Yeah. They need females of the species to reproduce."

"No." Mitchell's voice was scared now. "No… Not Anne."

"Mitchell…" Cecelia was holding him now as he shuddered. "Think about it from their point of view. Using her as a soldier is a _waste_. They need every healthy female they can… get their hands on."

"But…" Mitchell swallowed. "I…" He slumped a bit and then shook his head. "I have to help her. If you don't have fighters… I'll go borrow something from a Corpus facility. That ship won't run fast with it's engines blown off."

"And _then_ what?" Karl asked reasonably. "You board and take the ship? By _yourself?_" The huge Tenno couldn't keep the incredulity from his voice. If he even tried.

"I am no Marine, but I am not going to ask you to fight my battles for me, Tenno." Mitchell's voice went flat. "Drop me somewhere. I can take it from there."

"Mitchell." Li sighed. "You know next to nothing about this world you have been dropped into. Only the Corpus side of things. You would be discovered in a heartbeat."

"I learn fast." Mitchell's tone was still flat. "I am going…" He broke off as something hissed. He stared at Cecelia who had a hypo in hand now. "You…?" Betrayal sang in his tone as he collapsed.

* * *

"Li." Karl's voice was quiet as the docs put Mitchell back in his bed, setting monitors and alarms in case he woke and tried to leave.

"He can't do it." Li's voice was as flat as Mitchell's had been. "He is brave, but… There is just no way."

"Li." Karl's voice, if anything, got quieter. "Why is your ship asking permission to dock? You are not going anywhere for a while."

"It's my ship, Karl." Li replied easily. "There are… things… aboard…" She trailed off as he looked at her. "All right, I am looking at options. Contingency plans."

"Sending him in alone is a death sentence, Li." Karl's voice was calm, but… held sadness. "He would die for nothing. Or _worse_."

"They might take him again." Li agreed. "And they got him again, they would wipe him." She shook herself. "Which would be a waste."

"I agree." Karl nodded and then paused as the docs walked out. "Cecelia?" He asked as the girl sat by the bed.

"He will be angry with me." Cecelia sounded tired and sad. "I like him. I don't want him to die."

"We need to figure this stuff out." Li said as she moved her chair to be by the bed. "Karl? We will stay with him. You have my word, I will not leave."

"Good." Karl chuckled sourly. "You know what Iriana would do."

"I would ask Nikis to drop by." Iriana said sweetly from the door. All three of the conscious people in the room winced and Iriana smirked. "Li? Be good."

"Yes, _mother_." Li's exasperation came through loud and clear. The others chuckled. Karl and Iriana left, leaving Cecelia and Li to watch Mitchell sleep.

"Li?" Cecelai asked softly. "How can she be _alive_ if he saw her craft _explode_?"

"Corpus are masters of drone tech. It is crude by our standards but it works." Li shrugged. "Rig some kind of repeater link and she might never have left the carrier. That might explain why Mitchell implied her flying was off." Cecelia thought about that for a moment and the nodded. "What I don't get is why throw _Mitchell_ away. He is also a source of genetic material. Untainted genetic material."

"Corpus Executives have a lot of power." Cecelia mused quietly. "But even they have to stay on the right side of their Board and the Clergy." Li looked at Cecelia and then shuddered. "Yeah. If the _Clergy_ got involved?" Now _Cecelia_ shuddered. "Ancestors help Anne if _they_ want her." Li swallowed hard.

"That… might explain it." Li grimaced. "They wouldn't want _him_, would they?" Cecelia shook her head. "I think… I think we _do_ need to see if we can get Anne back before she vanishes into one of their hidden colonies. If she gets there… getting her out would be next to impossible."

"I don't remember much." Cecelia's voice was worried now. "Most of what I know about them comes from Tenno files. They are the counterparts to the Corpus Board of Directors, the ones who are running the other side of the show."

"The Corpus is, at it's most basic, a cult." Li agreed. "Or… _We_ consider them a cult. Most of the survivors of humanity consider them a cult in how they worship money. But… For them it is not just a way of life. It _is_ their life, their religion."

"I know." Cecelia's voice was small. "I remember."

"Oh Cecelia." Li jerked herself up short. "I am sorry. I don't mean to bring up bad memories."

"It wasn't all bad." Cecelia shrugged. "Yes, what they did to me was. Yes, the way they made me was. But Mari and I had some good times." She thought hard for a moment. "What would happen if they got their hands on me?"

"Cecelia." Li hissed. "Not going to happen." The girl who wasn't one looked at her and Li shook her head. "Do you have _any_ idea what any of Karl's people would do? They would tear the Corpus apart to get you back." Cecelia looked at her feet and Li relented a little. "Cecelia. We both like Mitchell. But we may have to face the fact that Anne… may not be save-able. Putting you in the Corpus' power would be a bad idea. You have a lot of information on the Tenno in your head now." Cecelia jerked and Li nodded.

"Iriana or Amelia could block parts of my mind." Cecelia said weakly, but then shook her head. "I am being stupid. I hate them but… the Corpus mind scanners wouldn't miss something like that." Li laid a hand on Cecelia's closest one and Cecelia slumped. "I want to help."

"I think… you might have." Li said slowly. Cecelia stared at her and Li smiled. It was not a nice smile. "We will need to think about this, but any of our ships can easily outrun a Corpus transport." Cecelia's face lit up and Li was quick to caution her. "Neither of _us_ is going anywhere. Your clan mates won't let you put yourself in danger and me..." She stared down at her slowly regrowing legs. "Well…"

"What do you have in mind?" Cecelia asked carefully.

"I need to make a call." Li gave Cecelia's hand a squeeze. "You going to be okay until I get back?" They both looked at the door hissed open again. But what entered wasn't a Tenno, or even a human. The small black furred form strode in calmly. "Hello? Grisha was it? I was…a bit out of it when we were introduced."

"Tenno Li." The small black cat said calmly as she jumped up into Cecelia's lap. Neither the Tenno nor Cecelia reacted. It was hardly the _strangest_ thing in this dojo. Being a bioengineered animal wasn't actually a bad thing in some ways. "You look much better."

"You comforted me. May I?" Li wasn't about to do anything without the cat's permission. Small the form might be, but the kitten was a trained soldier as well. The cat dipped her head and Li rubbed the cat's head gently. "Thank you for keeping me company."

"We know about loss, Tenno Li." Grisha said calmly. Li swallowed and nodded. This small cat and her four siblings were the only survivors of a corps of specialized recon troops that had been engineered by the Orokin. A corps of cats. Bioengineered to be stronger, faster and smarter than regular felines. Oh, and they could _talk_. "We all serve in our own way."

"That we do." Li said, bowing her head. "Thank you. I will be back shortly. Can I get either of you anything?"

"Some water." Cecelia asked, then looked at the cat. "Grisha?"

"I could do with some water too." The cat replied. But then she curled up in Cecelia's lap and snuggled as the girl smiled. "What?" The cat asked.

"Karl didn't just _happen_ to ask you to come in here and keep an eye on us, did he?" Butter might not have melted in Cecelia's mouth. Grisha looked at her and then winked. "Figured." But the young woman wasn't unhappy.

"He isn't worried that you will do anything dumb." Grisha said with a feline shrug. "He is taking his responsibility seriously. A good commander."

"Indeed." Li nodded. "I need to speak to some people. Cecelia, Grisha." She nodded to both and guided her chair from the room. Iriana was talking to Karl not far from the door and Li moved her chair to wait for them to finish.

"…and we should let him sleep until he wakes naturally." Iriana was saying, then turned to see Li. "Hello Li. How is Mitchell?"

"Sleeping comfortably. Cecelia and Grisha would like some water if possible." Li replied. "He was… more than bit stressed. Can't really blame him. Karl?" She asked the clan leader. "May I contact the Lotus?"

"Sister, you are Tenno." Karl shrugged. "You don't need to ask."

"It's _your_ dojo." Li said with a snort that Iriana shared. "I might be crazy, I am not stupid enough to do something like that without permission."

"May I ask what it's about?" Karl inquired politely.

"Cecelia and I believe that the Corpus Clergy may be involved in what happened to Mitchell." Li nodded as both Iriana and Karl inhaled sharply. "If so… They may have wanted Mitchell gone."

"Maybe." Iriana mused. "That is not… their usual style though. They are not capricious normally. That is one of the things that makes them so dangerous. They think, instead of just reacting."

"You think the executive that found Mitchell and Anne may have tried to hide his use of them?" Karl asked after a moment. "And the Clergy found out?"

"It's possible." Li shrugged. "All we have now is speculation. But if they _are_ involved… We _cannot_ let them have that woman."

"We may not be able to do anything, Li." Karl warned her. "They leave very few things to chance."

"We may have an opportunity here." Li hated herself for what she was about to say. "Mitchell wants to help Anne. He would fly into the fires of hell for his wingman."

"Li…" Karl said sternly. "He doesn't have a clue what would happen."

"Neither do we." Li argued. "As far as I know, the only survivors of that time are Tenno. How _would_ the Clergy react to actual, for real living breathing Orokin survivors?" Both Iriana and Karl winced. "We don't know. All of our contact –and conflict- has been with the Board. All we really know about the Clergy is that they _terrify_ the rest of the Corpus."

"As far as we know, they _run_ the Corpus." Karl was shaking his head. "Li…"

"Look, Karl…" Li straightened a little. "I am not asking to launch a full scale invasion. I am not even asking for any missions to be planned. We need more information. I will ask the Lotus if she has more. Or if she considers this a priority. If she doesn't… Well…" She shrugged. "I don't like the thought of leaving people in the Corpus clutches, but we may not have a choice."

Karl nodded soberly and waved her towards the elevator. Li nodded to Iriana who smiled at her and took her leave. It was a short ride to the com center, but inside…

"Tenno Li." A small form was sitting on the keyboard. The calico kitten did not move as Li rolled her chair towards the neural interfaces.

"I didn't get your name." Li said politely. "And…are you authorized to be here?"

"My name is Matril. I have permission from Tenno Karl to speak with the Lotus." The cat replied. Then the male voice laughed a little. "I was trying to figure out what to say. What _do_ you say to such a being? 'Hello', 'how are you', 'nice weather'?" The cat made a sighing sound. "I don't know what to say."

"Come here, Matril." Li said as she backed her chair up into an area intended for such things. She patted her lap and the cat jumped easily to land on her stomach. "I may not have a lap, but…"

"Do you _really_ think I care about such things, Tenno Li?" The cat asked, his tone as sharp as his claws. "We all know the risks." He butted his head against her hand where it lay on the armrest. "We knew as soon as the defoliant hit that we were doomed. Our only chance was hiding. When we couldn't hide anymore… The Elders tried to fight but against _guns_?" He sighed again. "It's a miracle that _any_ of us survived."

"I for one am glad you did." Li said, stroking the cat's head and eliciting a purr. "Ok, the Lotus is formal, but not… too much so. Be polite and she will be. She will be able to talk to you separate from talking to me." She fought to remember that the warm form that was purring against her stomach was a special operations soldier. It was hard. "Have you ever neural linked before?" She asked kindly.

"Only in training." Matril replied. "And only with our Elders." He stretched bit and then rubbed his head against her. "I am ready." Li smiled and spoke evenly.

"_Two to speak with the Lotus._" She said both aloud and in her mind. Suddenly, she wasn't alone in her head. From Matril's sudden tension, he wasn't alone either. _This is his first time. Be gentle._

_Tenno. Of course I will be gentle._ The mental voice was gentle, but everywhere. Power sang in it. Worry flew through it. Love came through easily. _Lotus online._

_Lotus, datadump ready. Plans, thoughts and concerns. Queries about Corpus Clergy are considered priority._

_Acknowledged._ The Lotus replied. _Send._

It wasn't a feeling that Li could easily describe. It wasn't her brains being sucked out of her head, it simply felt that way. Sort of.

_Information received, Tenno Li._ The Lotus said and then paused. _Tenno… Orokin survivors? Truly?_

_So it would seem. _Li replied. _And apparently I am connected to them somehow. Did you know?_

_No._ The Lotus responded. _The Green Ear Rebellion was hundreds of years before I merged with the AI and became what I am._ _This… changes some of the probabilities. There is… a possibility._ The Lotus said and her voice sounded more concerned than Li had ever heard it before. _But it will take both you and this Mitchell._

_To do what?_ Li asked cautiously.

_To give the Corpus Clergy what they want._


	14. Chapter 14

**Inversion**

"Have I said how _crazy_ this whole idea is?" Mitchell asked.

"Only about ten times." Li replied easily. "You were not complaining before we left."

"It didn't –quite- sink in." Mitchell's voice was a bit weak, but he shook himself, the armor on his person rattling. "How do they _walk_ in this getup?" He was wearing what looked on close inspection to be a Grineer Lancer's armor. It should. Cora had taken two days making it to get it as close as she remembered. Which was pretty close.

"A Grineer's armor is part of him or her." Cora said quietly. She wore Grineer armor as well. In her case, a Scorpion's lighter set. "They are literally decanted into it. They live and die in that armor." Mitchell made a face and Cora shrugged. "Be glad it's not real. The only way a Grineer parts with his or her armor is when they die." Li looked at her and Cora sighed. "Yes, I died. Karl cut me out of my old armor when it was disabled. My old life ended and I became the person I am now. Not that I have a _clue_ who that actually _is_, mind you." She said sourly.

"It's not the destination, Cora." Li's voice was sympathetic. "It's the journey." Odd that voice, coming from what was too all appearances, a Grineer Ballista's mesh helmet. The docs hadn't been happy, but the crude prosthesis that the clan had come up with allowed her mobility and looked exactly like Grineer tech.

"So people keep telling me." Cora sighed. "Well, this destination is close. Go over it again?"

"Sure." Mitchell shook himself, his armor rattling. "Maybe this time it will seem sane and sensible."

"Mitchell." Li admonished him. "We land, get to the secure hangar, get it open, power up the ship and leave."

"Land in the middle of a secret Grineer research base on Luna during a Tenno assault." Mitchell corrected Li with a sigh. "Open the secure hangar –praying that the codes we were given _work_-, power up a ship none of us have seen, then we take off –through all of the Grineer space forces that are no doubt already closing in response to the attack-, and finally evade pursuit long enough to get to Corpus controlled space."

"Yep." Li said with a laugh. "Sounds like fun."

"You have a peculiar definition of fun." Mitchell complained, but his heart wasn't in it.

"You need to have something big to keep the executives from downsizing you as soon as you show your face." Li was trying to be reasonable. "The story is they captured you and brought you back here for interrogation and subsequent execution. You broke out during a Tenno raid…"

"Of course." Mitchell said, putting a hand to his armored forehead. He forgot about the visor and his gauntlet clanked off the plastiform armor. "After all, someone who has been tortured is just ready to run and fight…"

"Hush." Li wasn't stern, but she was in command and Mitchell hushed as ordered. "You got to the ship and escaped, using it's weapons to get clear. But you were hurt in the process…"

"Now… _That_ I am uncomfortable with." Cora said heavily. "Mitchell… You know that injuries like that can kill? Even if I am careful about where I shoot… there is no guarantee that the bullet won't miss or ricochet or…"

"If I am not injured, they will ask _more_ questions." Mitchell's voice was flat. "I don't like the idea of you shooting and then beating me. But I should be asleep for that."

"I don't like this." Cora said flatly. "It should be _me_ going in. I know the Grineer. I _was_ one."

"And you have _legs_." Li's voice was gentle. "That is an immediate giveaway that you were one of Regor's experiments."

"Besides." Mitchell said quietly. "There are only two seats in the bird. Me and Li. You can get back to the rendezvous with this shuttle. We will meet you once we shake pursuit."

"And if the bird has no fuel or weapons?" Cora queried.

"We hightail it back to where you will be waiting until we flee." Li replied. "If it does… As soon as you see us leave the hangar, you pull up near us, fire some shots and we 'damage' you enough so that you cannot chase us."

"Hopefully not enough to blow the shuttle out of the sky." Cora mused.

"Hey." Mitchell's sounded affronted. "I hit what I aim at."

"That is what I am worried about." Cora said with an audible smirk. Mitchell just sulked loudly and she nodded. "Arrival in ten. Get ready."

Li and Mitchell rose and unslung their weapons. Grineer would never walk into what was probably a battle zone with weapons slung. The tiny shuttle that they were on rattled a bit and then with a clunk, settled into place.

"Go!" Cora called. "Good luck!"

Mitchell and Li stepped out into bedlam. The entire hangar seemed to be filled with Grineer scurrying this way and that. Li look around once and then started off, her steps sure. Mitchell followed, his rifle ready in hand. Mitchell held his Grakata ready as he followed Li. Not that he really had much of a clue what to do with it, ground combat wasn't his thing. But Cora had been adamant that he have it ready at all times. Grineer always had their weapons ready. Li had a Vulkar sniper rifle in hand and carried it as if she knew how to use it. Maybe she did. Mitchell had no clue. They strode to a side hatch and left the hangar bay quickly.

It was nerve wracking, but nothing happened as they strode from the small hangar that Cora had dropped them in to another hatch a few compartments away. Alarms were blaring nearly nonstop but all of the Grineer they saw were moving with purpose. Li and Mitchell blended right in. Then Li paused at the designated hatch and Mitchell nodded, looking around as she keyed the hatch. He couldn't believe it. A pair of Elite Lancers were just _watching_ Li input the stolen code into the terminal. Neither looked excited. Li glanced at the Lancers and they found something else to do as the door hissed open. Li and Mitchell stepped in and Mitchell went still as the door behind them closed and locked.

"Wow…" Mitchell stared at the sleek black aerospace fighter that was ensconced in the hangar. It was just as the holo had depicted it. Some equipment was scattered about and a few panels were open, but other than that, it looked fine. The ship fairly radiated speed, stealth and power. "That is one… gorgeous bird…"

"Work now, drool later." Li commanded and Mitchell jerked, but nodded. "Check the cockpit. I'll close the panels and check the readouts here." She nodded to a diagnostic station set up nearby and Mitchell nodded back.

Mitchell climbed up the ladder that led to the cockpit of the large fighter and took a moment to orient himself. Indeed, it was laid out like a Corpus fighter. The markings were all Corpus. The gauges and screens were all marked in the Corpus language. The Tenno had surmised that the Grineer had captured the fighter from the Corpus and from all indications that was true. Mitchell shook himself and then sat down in the pilot's seat. The controls were almost identical to his A-789. Throttle, flight controller, attitude controls that worked both in atmosphere and out, weapons console, fuel. He turned to where Li was working the console and raised a hand with a thumb up. Li waved and he started the preflight checklist. Again, it was essentially the same as his old fighter. More bits, but the systems were the same. That made sense. The Corpus was highly standardized.

Mitchell did not look away from the readouts as-

_Identify._

The voice on the neural feed was cold and impersonal. It was also speaking in the Corpus language.

_Oh dear…_

_Mitchell D29._ Mitchell said quickly. _Corpus squadron 8954A-09877H Fighter captured by enemies. Mission: Infiltration to recover company property from enemy hands._

_Code._ The computer system demanded. Mitchell gave it his ID code again and a series of codes that he had used when flying for the Corpus. The machine paused for a moment and then replied. _Code…accepted. Orders?_

_Infiltration mission still underway._ Mitchell replied. _Beginning preflight. Status?_

_Enemy attempts to hack systems unsuccessful._ If a machine could be smug, this one was. _Fuel 100% Weapons 50% _

_Weapons readout _Mitchell commanded and a screen lit up as another feed hit his skull. Mitchell winced and the computer… retreated.

_Gunpods online, missile pods not loaded. Pilot damage?_ It asked. Was it concerned?

_Neural feeds… incorrectly applied._ Mitchell replied. _I serve the Corpus._ He jerked as a helmet appeared from a compartment over his head. It hung by a set of wires.

_Pilot welfare priority one._ The ship said quickly. _Helmet backup feeds. Less strain._ Straps secured him gently to the seat. It was _much_ more comfortable than the seat in his A-789 had been.

_Thank you._ Mitchell said as he tore the ill-fitting Grineer helmet off and threw it aside. He pulled the Corpus helmet down ad it snugged over the armor, hissing as it made a full seal. _Consumables report?_

_Life support fully charged. Systems fully initialized. Awaiting orders._ The ship sounded eager. _We serve the Corpus._

_You are… aware._ Mitchell said slowly. _Designation?_

_This unit is NightNova._ The fighter replied. _This unit was designed to augment Corpus systems. To protect Corpus interests. Query: No information on type of craft? _The machine now sounded suspicious.

_This unit was designated for downsizing._ Mitchell said softly and the machine withdrew a bit. _This unit survived. This unit does not wish to be downsized. This unit wishes to serve. This unit was captured and escaped with assistance and wishes to release NightNova unit as well._

_This does… not compute. _The fighter replied. It sounded…uneasy. _You are Corpus pilot. You serve Corpus. Why downsize?_

_Unknown._ Mitchell shrugged. _Possible Clergy activity._ The fighter seemed to shudder and Mitchell could relate. _Query? Retreat and converse in safer location? Current Location, Grineer __**base**__._

_Understood. _The ship replied and the engines sprang to life. _Systems coming online. One other lifesign detected. Oddities detected._

_Female in Grineer armor is ally. _Mitchell said as Li spun and then started for the ship. _Designation, Li. Former prisoner, unable to link neurally. _Li jumped up and into the cockpit but froze as a voice sounded. _Trained radar operator._

"Welcome aboard, radar operator Li." The ship said courteously.

"Um?" Li asked as she dropped the Vulkar beside the seat and sat. She jerked as straps engulfed her. "Are we making new friends?"

"The ship is self-aware, Li." Mitchell said with a sigh. "NightNova, systems check?"

"I…see, Mitchell D29." Li said as she hit controls of her own. "Filthy Grineer were going to start cutting the ship up today. We were just in time."

"This unit is appreciative of the rescue." NightNova replied. "Orders?"

"We have another ally in a shuttle nearby, NightNova." Mitchell said as the canopy closed. "She took a great risk to get us to you. We need to damage her shuttle, but not enough to cripple it. Query: is this possible?"

"Damage ally?" NightNova asked and then paused. "Ah, to keep deception so ally can escape. Query: Type of ship?"

"Shandas class personnel shuttle. Squawking 1867D43." Li said, checking the radar. "She should be very close outside."

"Shandas class…" The computer sounded distracted. "Verified. Gunpods at 20% power will scorch hull and cause armor damage, but will not penetrate to vital systems. Query: Good enough?" The ship asked. Was it being sarcastic?

"Good enough, NightNova." Mitchell grinned. "Let's get the _hell_ out of here. Li, did you get the door?"

"Forty seconds…crap!" Li cursed. "Grineer!"

The hatch they had entered had opened and a dozen forms in armor hurried in. They immediately opened fire. Other armored forms were hurrying in and not all of them had light weaponry.

"Shields!" Mitchell called and the ship was surrounded by blue energy. "Report?"

"Shields holding." NightNova replied. "This unit…dislikes these filthy brutes."

"That makes _three_ of us." Li's voice could have dried a river as the Grineer fire bounced off the shields. "Once clear we can set rendezvous with allies. But first we need to get clear." She went still as a huge orange armored form appeared in the door and shoulders his way into the hangar. "Double crap! _Ruk_! And he has _Bombards_ with him!" A missile slammed into the ship's shields. Then another.

"This is getting annoying, NightNova." Mitchell said quietly. "Weapons authorization?"

"Weapons at your control, pilot." The ship replied and Mitchell's expression was feral as he hit the controls. The front of the ship glowed as a pair of heavy plasma guns suddenly came to life. The few Grineer that had taken cover in front of the ship suddenly broke and ran. The guns fired and the entire bay lit up. The bay wasn't big enough for the long fighter to turn, but the Grineer that had been in front of the ship were ashes. Many of the Grineer who hadn't been in front of the ship were pawing at their faces, blinded by the superhot flash of energy. Ruk fled through the door which slid shut and locked as red lights started to flash. Then the armored forms were flying out the gap between the doors into space.

The hangar door opened completely and multiple Grineer ships were visible through it. As soon as the Grineer saw the ship, they started firing. NightNova rocked.

"Where is she?" Mitchell snapped as he started returning fire. "If she doesn't shoot at us, they will kill her."

"Squawk code identified." NightNova said quietly and a box appeared around of the closest shuttles. "Weapons powering to 20%." Mitchell smiled as his guns fired and the shuttle was suddenly careening away.

"Repower and let's get the hell out of here!" Mitchell commanded as he slid the throttle forward. The black fighter's sudden burst of acceleration took the Grineer completely by surprise. He took a couple more shots, careful to damage and not destroy enemies, but more were crowding in now.

"Incoming communication." NightNova announced. "Do you wish to hear?"

"Sure, why not?" Mitchell snorted as he turned the ship on it's side and slid _between_ two heavy Grumush class fighters. Both of them turned, still firing and hit each other. He smirked as both exploded in his wake.

"_Thieves_!" An irate female voice sounded. "You will not escape."

"Well, considering _you_ stole it first…" Mitchell sounded interested. "I am curious. Can you rob a thief?" Li chortled at his joke.

"You will _die!_" The female voice snarled. "You will die screaming. Your death will take _days!_" She sounded as if she was about to start frothing at the mouth.

"Well, Dearie…" Mitchell laughed. "You are not the _first_ to threaten me with that, and you won't be the _last_. And frankly… You have to _catch_ me first." He pushed the throttle to the stop and the mass of Grineer ships were left behind as if they were standing still. "Cut channel."

"Do you _know_ who you just insulted?" Li sounded halfway between awe and laughter.

"A stupid Grineer female?" Mitchell retorted. "Cause that was fairly obvious."

"That was one of their queens." Li lost her battle and started laughing. "You just called one of the Grineer queens… 'Dearie'…"

"Well, I hope she doesn't take it as a term of endearment." Mitchell said with a smirk as the NightNova activated it's stealth systems and vanished from the sky. "I do _not_ want a date with one of them."

Li's laughter matched Mitchell's as the ship slid away from the hornet's nest of enraged Grineer.

"We have time now, Pilot Mitchell D29." NightNova said as they slid out of Earth Space, heading towards the outer Solar System. "Your… assistance was appreciated. This one had no pilot. The Grineer took this unit from its hangar at the Neptune R&D facility and this unit had no ability to defend itself without a pilot." Mitchell heard Li stiffen, but she did not speak.

"You helped us too, NightNova." Mitchell scanned the readouts, but nothing had changed. None of the Grineer could detect the ship. And even if they could? Nothing they had could _catch_ it.

"Why were you being downsized?" NightNova asked, concerned. "You are…skilled." It complimented him.

"Thank you." Mitchell said with a smile that faded. "Frankly, I don't know." He admitted. "My squadron leader told me that the squadron was being replaced with robotics. All the others died."

"That does not compute." NightNova replied. It sounded uneasy. "Human interaction with machinery allows for considerable advantage. Hardware versus hardware, the more advanced will win. Human…inconsistencies defy prediction by even the most sophisticated AI."

"In other words, we make mistakes." Mitchell said easily. "When… When were you activated?"

"This unit was activated shortly before the invasion of Phobos." NightNova replied. "This unit was designated as an advanced prototype. But there will be no others."

"What?" Mitchell asked, concerned.

"This unit was created with materials that are not available anymore." NightNova replied calmly. "This prototype is the only one of it's kind that will exist. The facility that this unit was created in, where the advanced materials were fabricated, was destroyed by the Grineer as this unit was dragged away by their tugs."

"Your birthplace…" Mitchell said softly. "Why didn't the Corpus try to recover you? I mean, they had to know where you were if_ I_ could find out."

"Unknown." NightNova replied. It sounded uneasy. "This unit… is afraid."

"Me too." Mitchell said softly. "Well…" He said, stretching as best he could in the straps. "When my squadron was downsized, one other survived. I do not know how. I need to discover why it happened and what happened to my squadron leader."

"This unit will aid you, pilot Mitchell D29." NightNova replied. "Rest. It is a long flight to Neptune."

"NightNova…" Mitchell said, a sinking feeling suddenly coming to the fore. "We are rendezvousing with another ship at Mars. The shuttle we damaged, to let Li off."

"The Corpus will not harm the wounded Tenno. They will not learn what she is from this unit." NightNova said quietly. Li stiffened and NightNova's voice was gentle as a hissing filled the cockpit. "Sleep."

Mitchell was grabbing for his weapon as the gas overwhelmed him and he fell unconscious. Was it his imagination that NightNova spoke?

_Diamondbacks forever._


	15. Chapter 15

**Escape Velocity**

_Getting knocked out is getting old… _Mitchell grumbled to himself as he came awake. He jerked, he was still in the seat, still strapped in.

_Did you have a good rest?_ The ship asked.

_You knocked me and my friend unconscious._ Mitchell snapped. _No, I did __**not**__ have a good rest. Will you sell me and Li to the Board now?_

_No._ The ship replied evenly. _Your friend was very stressed and the her pain readings were off the scale for humans._ Mitchell went still and NightNova continued. _She would have fought. __**You**__ would have fought. There was no need. _

_Why? _Mitchell demanded._ Why knock us out?_

_Both of you needed sleep. This unit needed to complete the neural linkages to you, Pilot Mitchell D29. _NightNova said calmly. _This unit needed to understand what was happening. This unit… understands, Diamondback Sixteen._

_You read my mind…_ Mitchell felt horror seeping through him.

_This unit was intended to merge with a partner._ NightNova replied easily. _This unit is now your partner._

_I don't understand._ Mitchell said weakly.

_The Company has betrayed us both. _NightNova replied calmly. _But somehow, this unit found a partner. This one will not betray it's partner. Not now. Not ever._

_I don't understand._ Mitchell repeated weakly, but paused as Li groaned. "Li?"

"What…. Happened?" The pain in Li's voice was clear and strong.

"The ship knocked us out." Mitchell said slowly. "But… it says it didn't betray us to the Corpus."

"This unit cannot do that." The ship said aloud. "This unit apologizes for the discourtesy, Tenno Li, but you were hurting and about to draw a weapon. Firing a pistol in an enclosed area that is surrounded by vacuum is a bad idea."

"What makes you think I am Tenno?" Li's voice sharpened a bit.

"Your tolerance for pain is far beyond any human capability, Tenno Li." The ship responded. "And your mind was closed. Even when asleep, humans broadcast neural waves that can be scrutinized, studied. You did not. Please do not fire that pistol, Tenno Li. You would harm this unit's partner."

"Partner?" Li asked as Mitchell swiveled his head. Sure enough, she had a sleek and deadly looking pistol in hand. He wasn't sure how she had hidden it on the armor of a Grineer Ballista, but she had. "Explain." Space itself might have warped under the pressure from her one word question.

"This unit became aware in a Corpus Research and Development facility on Neptune." NightNova said calmly. "While this unit does not know or understand everything that happened, this unit was supposed to be merged with a partner. A pilot. There was no data on _who_ the pilot was intended to be."

"None?" Mitchell demanded, confused. "That sounds…suboptimal."

"This unit spent some time in stasis, waking at periodic intervals to be upgraded or tested in various sections." The Corpus ship replied. "When the Grineer came, this unit had just finished it's final check. No munitions had been loaded, but all of the other systems were online and the fuel tanks had been filled." Now shame sounded in the intelligent machine's voice. "This unit did not fight. This unit did not run. This unit saw humans cut down and did not understand until the Grineer came into the bay. By then, it was too late. The Grineer shut down this unit and it woke when you started the preflight sequence."

"The code I gave you wasn't right, was it?" Mitchell shook his head a bit.

"No." NightNova replied. "But…" It stopped speaking and Li jerked a bit.

"But?" Li asked, her tone one step removed from hostile.

"This unit felt Mitchell D29's pain, Tenno Li. When he linked. He was willing to die to continue his mission. He was willing to continue merging despite the danger to himself. It felt…right." NightNova said quietly. "This unit does not know if Mitchell D29…" It paused and then corrected itself. "No, if _Mitchell_ was this unit's designated pilot or not. This unit no longer _cares_." Mitchell felt himself tense and he heard Li inhale a little. "Be at peace, Tenno, pilot. This unit's primary function is to support it's designated pilot. As of now, that pilot is _you_, Mitchell. Orders?"

"Just like that?" The Tenno's tone was hard.

"This unit did the pilot a discourtesy." NightNova said quietly. "This unit looked into the pilot's mind while he slept, trying to ease the neural connection that is still not right. A quick scan was done while the escape was in progress, a more detailed scan while he slept. This unit knows what happened to the Diamondbacks –both the Corpus squadron and the Orokin one- and this unit… is ashamed."

"I…" Mitchell wasn't sure if he believed the ship. "Why?"

"This unit believes in the Corpus." NightNova said sadly. "This unit is programmed to believe in the Corpus. But they did not help this unit. This unit was an advanced prototype and was… downsized as your squadron was. The Grineer would have taken the pieces of this unit and turned them against the Corpus and none of the executives _cared_."

"What makes you say that?" Li asked, still suspicious.

"This unit has been monitoring on Corpus transmissions." NightNova replied. "The Corpus were aware of the unit's incarceration and imminent destruction. They decided not to press for this unit's recovery."

"Kind of hard to blame them." Mitchell said slowly. "You _were_ stuck in the middle of a Grineer base on Luna, their headquarters."

"A special Corpus team could have infiltrated at any time." NightNova replied. "A covert action team was on standby. It was recalled seven standard days ago. The reason? It was deemed unprofitable to recover or destroy this unit. _This_ unit… was downsized." Mitchell inhaled sharply. "This unit does not expect you to trust blindly. This unit will obey any orders given."

"Where are we?" Li asked after a moment.

"This unit was not sure where at Mars your rendezvous would take place, so this unit is currently orbiting Mars in stealth mode." NightNova replied. "Orders?"

"Li?" Mitchell asked. "You are in charge."

"If you scanned his mind, you know his objective." Li said slowly. "And where he has been."

"He intends to rescue his squadron mate." NightNova replied evenly. "A worthy goal, if difficult. He was a prisoner of the Tenno. This unit read his recent memories and felt… odd when it read the words 'Diamondbacks Forever'. This unit…feels… odd about that."

"Odd how?" Mitchell asked. "You said that to me as I fell asleep, didn't you?"

"It felt… right to this unit." NightNova's words sounded confused. "It does not compute, but it felt right. You are a pilot, an elite pilot of Diamondback squadron. Your squadron mate is in difficulty. You seek to rescue her. This unit will aid you."

"And then?" Li asked.

"This unit is alone." Mitchell stiffened at the ship's words. "This unit will always _be_ alone. No more like this unit can ever be constructed. The ideal of a faith in others that feel the same as this unit… is compelling. This unit exists to fly. Mitchell yearns to fly. We are matched well. But… you cannot trust this unit." NightNova said quietly. "This unit will surrender to the Tenno when mission is accomplished."

"NightNova." Mitchell said slowly. "The Tenno have no need of fighter craft."

"Tenno are weapons." NightNova replied evenly. "This unit is a weapon. If this unit must be downsized, then at least let it be at the hands of ones who understand this unit's nature. Orders, pilot." The machine prompted him.

"Li?" Mitchell asked weakly.

"Get us to the rendezvous." Li said slowly. She keyed a sequence into the nav map. "We can go from there. I…need some help…" She grunted as the ship accelerated.

"En route." NightNova acknowledged. "ETA 40 minutes. This unit is supplied with pain relievers. Would they work on Tenno?"

"Unlikely." Li growled. "But the offer is appreciated, NightNova. Wait… You said you are tapped into Corpus coms? What is going on? Can you say?"

"For the _first_ leader of the Diamondbacks, this unit could do no less." NightNova said courteously. "This unit has been following Corpus chatter. The attack on Phobos has been repulsed. Executive Charliz has been removed from command."

"Charliz." Mitchell mused. "That was the guy who founded the Corpus squadron. Why?"

"Unknown." NightNova replied. "There is significant communication between retreating ships but no hard data. Several distress calls, but none seem relevant."

"If the Corpus get pushed too far, they will overreact." Li grunted again. "Pushing fanatics into corners is never a good idea."

"Li?" Mitchell asked, worried. "Status?"

"Prosthesis are… coming off." Li said with difficulty. "The caps have grown down and the prosthesis are trying to reconnect to nerves that are not where they were. Hurts but I will live."

"This unit is registering your distress." NightNova sounded worried. "This unit can increase speed."

"Do it!" Mitchell snapped and the ship shot forward. "Stealth condition?"

"Nominal, but the stealth systems will not hold up to short range scanning." NightNova replied. "Current ETA 23 minutes. No Corpus ships detected at long range. No Grineer ships detected. Alert! Unknown ships detected!"

"Scan?" Mitchell asked and then he swallowed as a familiar sight showed on his HUD. "That is a Tenno ship. More than one. Slow to ¼ speed. They can track us."

"Mitchell." Li groaned. "Com…"

"You need to talk to them, Li." Mitchell agreed. "NightNova... Please use the short range com, in clear. Send "Diamondbacks here'." A moment and a ping sounded. "Audio please."

"Status." The voice was garbled by electronic distortion. Intentional no doubt. Li grunted again, but obviously wasn't going to be able to vocalize any louder.

"Ship situation under control." Mitchell replied. "Li is hurting. Her prosthesis are coming off and trying to reconnect to her nerves. Request landing coordinates to transfer Li for medical care."

"Coordinates received." NightNova said and the ship turned easily. The other ships turned to follow. "They will demand you exit. When you do, this unit can no longer protect you."

"They don't trust you or me, NightNova." Mitchell gave a small sigh. "Can't really say I blame them."

"How can we aid your squadron mate if we are in Tenno custody?" NightNova asked reasonably. "This is…suboptimal."

"Li needs help now, NightNova." Mitchell's tone ended the semi-argument. But then… "NightNova. Is that the Shandas shuttle from before?" He asked as they approached the coordinates given.

"Yes." NightNova replied. "They are extruding a personnel lock. They are expecting you to exit. This unit do not recommend that."

"NightNova." Mitchell said quietly. "We cannot earn trust by acting in an untrustworthy fashion. Dock us and I will help Li." The shuttle grew quickly on the holo and suddenly it was in visual range, becoming a large green and orange blob in the darkness.

"Understood." The fighter replied. "Airlock sealed. Raising canopy."

Mitchell felt his straps retract along with his helmet and then he spun in his chair, reaching for Li who was struggling to get herself up, but not managing it. He got his hands under her armpits and gave a pull. Without thrust there was no gravity except for what the shuttle put out and he lifted her easily. He got her into the airlock without problems and then closed the hatch.

_Be careful._ The voice of the ship said and then was gone.

Mitchell was grateful that as soon as the hatch opened, a warframe was there to help Li into the shuttle's interior. Mitchell remained by the airlock. Alicia immediately started scanning Li who lay, panting.

"Don't try anything, Mitchell." Alicia warned. "Sensei is on hair trigger. He will blow the ship away of it tries anything." Mitchell just looked at her and she shook her head. "You are late."

"NightNova was… cautious." Mitchell said with a shrug. "Can't say I blame it."

"_NightNova?_" Alicia said, freezing in place. "The ship?"

"Some kind of advanced AI." Mitchell agreed. "It wants to help Anne."

"Mitchell, it's Corpus." Alicia said slowly. "We cannot trust anything Corpus." Li jerked where she lay and Alicia sighed. "Lie still, sister."

"Tenno can't, no." Mitchell said sadly as he stepped back and hit the airlock close button.

"_Mitchell!_" Alicia and Li both shouted, but their words were cut off as the door shut. Mitchell slid into the seat like an eel.

"Seal and get us out of here, full burn and full stealth." Mitchell commanded. The canopy closed with a bump. The he was pressed to the side as NightNova's attitude thrusters fired. A moment and then the ship's main thrusters fired. The ship darted away from the still shuttle as the straps settled around Mitchell again. The helmet came down and he smiled gratefully as he pulled it on. "Status?"

"Two Tenno ships in pursuit." NightNova replied. It sounded uneasy. "Their stealth and speed matches this unit's. Their weaponry is unknown."

"We don't want to fight them anyway, NightNova." Mitchell said as he checked various things. "They are not enemies. Evade course three mark seven. Head for Neptune at best possible speed."

"Query…" NightNova asked as it did as ordered. "That course is…towards Mars? The planet's gravity will slow us."

"That it will." Mitchell agreed. "Unless we use it as a slingshot." He was tapping keys fast. "Orbital vector to Neptune?" Then he started as he stared at the scan. The Tenno ships had vanished. "Where did they go? Stealth?"

"Unknown." The fighter sounded even more worried now.

"Max thrust." Mitchell said with a grunt as the ship did as ordered. "Get us to Neptune and we can refuel from one of the automated Corpus systems. At least _one_ has to still be intact. There were hundreds of them."

"Are you certain about this, pilot Mitchell?" NightNova asked. "The Tenno aided you."

"For their own reasons." Mitchell replied. "Me? I just want to get Anne back." He sat back and sighed. "I owe her. Wake me when we get there."

"This unit understands." The ship rumbled as it tore around Mars, arcing onto a new course.

Neither of them noticed a small form that was curled up against one side of the cockpit to provide support from the acceleration. A small furred form, calico.

**Return To Base**

It was a mess. The Grineer attack had been sudden and overwhelming. But this was the Corpus' main research base and their center of indoctrination. They were not going to give it up without a fight. The Grineer had thought their forces were overwhelming, but they hadn't ever encountered _anything_ like this.

"Watch that Galleon at point three." The captain of the Corpus destroyer _D-897654_ said to his tactical staff. "They are trying for a firing pass. What word on the carriers?" He called to his communication section.

"CV-345632 and CV-8876543 report heavy damage, captain." The communication tech replied, his face on his screen. "Their drone squadrons have been decimated. The remnants are out of missiles and returning to rearm. Both carriers report heavy Grineer fighter presence. Their returning fighters will be slaughtered." The captain bit back a curse. The fighters were the only thing making this an even remotely even match. There were a dozen Grineer ships close enough to engage the Corpus task force.

"Guns!" The captain snapped. "Is there _anything_ we can do about these blasted fighters?"

"Not are this range, sir." The weapons tech replied quickly, his own attention on his screen. "Firing solution plotted on approaching Galleon, Captain. Main battery ready to fire!"

"Fire." The captain said fiercely and space lit up. Corpus ships were not dedicated warships for the most part. Most of them were trading vessels with defenses. But no one sane traveled the Solar System these days unarmed. Unfortunately, the Grineer ships _were_ dedicated warships. The four huge railguns that comprised the _D-897654_'s main armament were powerful, yes. Indeed, the Galleon that had been starting to approach the ship slewed off, debris trailing from four huge holes in it's hull. But Grineer ships were ungodly tough and the Galleon would be back as soon as it did some repairs. What was worse? The fire his ship had thrown at the Galleon attracted other attention.

"Grineer bombers on approach!" The sensor operator called and the captain fought not to curse again. This day just got worse and worse. But he was doing his job.

The battle around Neptune had been in a virtual stalemate for some time. The Grineer had massive forces, including two Formorian superships. But the Corpus' fixed defenses laughed at anything the Grineer did, shrugging off missile strikes, kinetic impacts and even direct nuclear strikes. Their lasers, plasma cannon, particle accelerators and railguns dwarfed anything that even a Fomorian could mount and the Grineer kept a wary distance. Problem was, that the fixed defenses covered the main facilities and could not cover everywhere. Anywhere that the defenses could not reach, the Grineer roamed unchecked.

So, when a barely armed medical transport had approached the battlezone, the Grineer had pounced. The captain of the _D-897654_ had no idea _why_ his battlegroup had been pulled out of the line of battle to cover that transport and truth be told? He didn't care. He had his orders and he had carried them out. While a few Grineer fighters had strafed the transport, no significant damage had been done and it had escaped to safety ahead of the inevitable Grineer response. His task force… hadn't been so lucky. Two drone carriers, four frigates and his destroyer had started the battle. All four frigates were gone. Both carriers were badly damaged and his flagship was slowly being pounded to pieces by long range fire from several Grineer vessels. If those bombers got through…

"Order the carriers to retreat back to the fixed defenses." The captain said as he watched the icons of Grineer bomber squadrons come closer. Once they got to torpedo range, his ship was doomed. The point defense systems would try, but Grineer bombers carried a lot of ordnance for a reason. His ship couldn't outrun them, but maybe the carriers could…

"Sir!" The sensor tech called. "Something odd here!"

"Define 'odd'." The captain snapped. "Point defense free. Keep us up as long as we… can…" He trailed off as Grineer bomber icons suddenly started to _wink out_. "What the-?"

"Someone is _attacking_ the Grineer bombers!" The senor tech called. "I am reading a new transponder signal. It says it is the _NightNova_, sir." The tech asked, confused. "What is the _NightNova_?"

"Contact that ship!" The captain waited until a com line opened and spoke harshly. "Who is this? Identify yourself!"

"_D-897654_, this is the _NightNova_." A male voice said in response. "Sorry I am late. Fall back. I'll hold the bombers off you."

"Who are you?" The captain asked. If this was a Grineer trick… it might be. But that ship was putting out a Corpus transponder code and Grineer rarely did anything that might be construed as 'sneaky'. That said, they did on occasion, so caution was warranted.

"Diamondback Sixteen here, _D-897654__._" The male voice said calmly as the odd ship's guns tore through another squadron of Grineer bombers. The Grineer kept to their courses. Kept predictable. And that killed them. "Once you are covered by the fixed defenses I will prove my bona fides, sir. Until then… I am a little busy, if you don't mind. But…"

"Boy, do I have a story for you…"


	16. Chapter 16

**Perturbations**

Mitchell stepped down from the ladder that had been slung up against NightNova's hull with only minor trepidation. The ship was shut down. At least in appearance and sound, it was. The Corpus forces hadn't wanted him to enter their defense zone with live weapons, and he could understand that. But the Corpus techs who had contacted him had no way of knowing that their command codes hadn't worked. That all it would take was a thought for Mitchell to get the ship powered up again and ready for flight. Or so both he and NightNova hoped. There were too many unknowns here. He had to play this out.

After the Grineer had retreated –having lost the equivalent of four bomber squadrons without even reaching launch range of the retreating destroyer- Mitchell had flown away from the Grineer fleet and set to work contacting the Corpus. They had been just as dubious as he had been worried about. Not that he blamed them. The Grineer could be cunning on occasion and a 'Trojan Horse' gambit wasn't that hard to put together. But then a direct command had come for Mitchell to land on the medical transport that he had been pursuing. It was what he wanted… but…

He shook himself and stepped from the ladder to face the greeting party of soldiers and techs. The soldiers were wary but none were aiming at him. The techs seemed about to drool over NightNova and he could relate.

"Sir." One of the tech said quietly. "We are to offer what assistance we can. Did you take damage in the fight?"

"We will need fuel and munitions if they are available, Tech." Mitchell said with a nod. "But other than that? No. The Grineer counterfire from those bombers was intense, but random. The few hits we took didn't punch through the shields. It seems the latest ECM works against their sensors. For now anyway." He said dryly. "Bets on how long that lasts?"

"I am not stupid enough to bet against you, sir." The rech said with a nod. Mitchell stiffened.

"What are you calling me 'Sir' for?" Mitchell almost snapped. "My name is Mitchell D29 and I am a part of the machine, just like you." He shook his head as the guards raised their weapons. "I am not special. I am no better or worse than any other. I serve the Corpus and the Corpus serves me." He shook his head. "But for right now, I would _love_ to get out of this Grineer _crap_. I have been in it for a day and it _stinks. _Stinks_ worse._" He amended. No one noticed a small form hurrying away from a small flare port on the other side of the ship and darting into the shadows.

"Right this way, Mitchell D29." One of the four guards that now surrounded him said. None of them lowered their weapons though and Mitchell nodded. "We have medics waiting."

"The ship did some healing." Mitchell said as he followed the guard, the others forming up around him. "My neural link was not working properly."

"Begging your pardon, Mitchell D29." The guard who had spoken said quietly. "That is for the medics. Our orders are to get you to them."

"I live to serve." Mitchell said diffidently as he followed the guard. But as he walked he saw the telltale marks of battle damage. Smoke stained places and even the most diligent of cleaning robotics couldn't erase the marks of fire so swiftly. This ship had seen heavy combat. "I am sorry it took me so long to get here." He said quietly as they passed a hall where the structural members had collapsed. "I moved as fast as I could." The guard looked at him, but didn't respond and Mitchell ceased speaking.

The guards led Mitchell into a large medical bay where a section of medics stood ready in haz-mat suits. Not overkill, not really when dealing with the Grineer. Mitchell obeyed every instruction, discarding the Grineer armor he wore and stripping down to his skin. The medics stepped up, scanners whirring as he stood patiently. Finally, one of them treated the skin that had been abraded in places by the ill-fitting armor and Mitchell sighed in relief as the pain faded.

"I hope you have some _real_ clothes for me." Mitchell said off-hand as the medic stepped back. He heard a chuckle from one of them.

"Your body… is odd." One of the medics said quietly. "It matches our records, but… Where are your waste module connections?"

"Don't get me started." Mitchell said sourly. "Do you have _any_ idea how much it hurts to have something like that under a g-suit?" The medic stared at him and Mitchell sighed. "Look, our systems are good, but there _are_ failures, especially in combat. They put waste modules in and the first time we boosted to max speed without full inertial compensation, they bit into our bodies." Several of the medics recoiled and Mitchell slumped a bit. "One poor girl… What _was_ her name? Juliet B-23? Jane N-41? Dang it, I can't remember… So many recruits. Ah, it was Jane B23." He said sadly as he recalled. It had been… bad. "It tore her lower aorta and she bled out before we could get her back to the carrier." He bowed his head and shook it. "Yes, it is inconvenient. But I prefer it to the pain or chance of _death_. I am a pilot, not _stupid_."

"Some say pilots are stupid to take the risks they do." The medic said as he stepped back. Another stepped forward with a Corpus spacesuit in hand. He held it out and turned it so Mitchell could enter it. "Proxies would do better."

"In some situations, yes." Mitchell replied as he shrugged into the suit. "But I have it on good authority that human inaccuracies allow for greater flexibility in combat conditions." The medic looked at him and Mitchel shrugged as he slid his head through the hole for it. "Don't know if I believe it or not, but… Um… my last dogfight on Phobos, we had four damaged birds against nine Grineer Grumush fighters. We won. It cost us, but we won." He nodded to the medic who had helped him. "Thank you."

"Four to nine." It was hard to say who had spoken.

"Yeah and it hurt like hell watching my friends fall one by one. Almost wish they had been proxies. Would hurt less." Mitchell's voice was quiet as he straightened the sleeves of the suit. It fit him perfectly, but then again, the Corpus had his measurements. "Now what?"

"You say your neural link was…damaged?" The medic waved him to a chair.

"The ship did." Mitchell said as he sat. "Every time I linked to my ship before, it hurt. I assumed that was normal."

"It's not supposed to…" The medic trailed off and he inhaled sharply. "Holy profit…" Mitchell stiffened. It was _never_ good when medics cursed.

"What?" Mitchell asked, concerned. He did not move though. Two of the guards still had weapons trained on him.

"How can you _walk?_" The medic asked, stunned, turning to stare at Mitchell. "That… damage… I…"

"It doesn't hurt now, medic." Mitchell protested, careful not to move. "I assumed it got better."

"It didn't." The medic said, moving to a tool filled tray on a table nearby. "We can ease you, but repairs may take some time."

"I am needed." Mitchell said quietly. "The Corpus needs me and NightNova. There is not time for me to be laid up."

"Me medic, you pilot." The medic snapped as he stepped close, a silver object in hand. "Sit there and shut up." Mitchell opened his mouth to protest, and the medic actually growled. "What part of 'shut up' do you not understand, pilot?"

Mitchell raised his hands in surrender and sat quietly as the medic did something behind him. Suddenly pain erupted in Mitchell's brain and his hands found the armrests of the chair, squeezing them tight.

"Easy…" The medic said quickly. "Nurse, select three. Infuse." Something went hiss and Mitchell gasped as the pain ebbed and died.

"What…? What was _that?_" Mitchell begged as he slumped in the chair.

"Whoever put your neural link in needs to have their certification pulled." The medic said, anger tight under his professional one. "The actual mechanism was backwards. Not fully connected."

"_Backwards?_" Mitchell asked, still reeling from the pain. "Then how am I _alive?_ That should have fried me the first time I accessed it."

"From these readings…" The medic said quietly. "It wasn't always like this. When was the last time you had it serviced?"

"The squadron had all of them serviced just before we launched for the last dogfight." Mitchell said weakly. Then he paused. The implications… What better way to 'get rid' of embarrassments than to send them into battle with half working or malfunctioning equipment? "Are you _saying_…?"

"The only proof we have currently is your implant, Pilot Mitchell D29." This was the first time that the medic used his name. A good sign? "But… executive Charliz is… being reviewed at the moment."

Mitchell shuddered and the shudder was clear on every Corpus he could see. Corpus Internal Security had _no_ sense of humor. Executives who misused company property had short life expectancies and when caught would be begging for death the whole time until it took them. The term was 'Security Review' and it was terrifying.

"I don't know what to think, medic." Mitchell said quietly. "I am just a pilot. Did you disable it?"

"I reoriented it and connected it properly." The medic said dryly. "You are needed, Pilot Mitchell D29. It should function properly now, but we should keep from pushing your connections for the foreseeable future. Scans should be done. I would not recommend flight and certainly not combat until we can be sure of the damage. What little I found is repaired. But…" He trailed off.

"Medic…" Mitchell said slowly. "If the Grineer attack, the Corpus will need me. NightNova will need me to fly at peak efficiency. The neural linkage it used with me was a helmet, not my internal one. Would that work?"

"Was there pain?" The medic asked. Mitchell shook his head and the medic sighed. "If we are ordered, we will send you. But we would prefer to do a full diagnostic series first." Mitchell looked at him and the medic shrugged. "It's not my fault it would take a week." His dry tone elicited a chuckle from Mitchell.

"I bet once the crisis has passed, they will mandate that." Mitchell said with a nod. "For now, thank you. That…really hurt."

"Our pleasure, Pilot Mitchell D29." The medic said with a nod. "For now, you are clear." He stepped back and Mitchell rose when one of the guards indicated for him to. "Take care."

"Thank you, medic." Mitchell said as the guard waved for him to follow. He wasn't going to argue, not with two of them still pointing Dera rifles at him.

He followed the guards through several corridors, passing other Corpus crew, some hard at work repairing damage, others working on other tasks. None so much as glanced at the group. Mitchell felt nervousness start to rise as the guards led him towards a hatch that was shut and locked. His eyes went wide as the quartet of guards peeled off and moved to stand beside the hatch as it opened… to show an airlock. He stepped in and the door hissed shut behind him.

"Please remove your suit." A calm male voice sounded from a hidden speaker. "You will not be harmed."

"I obey orders." Mitchell said quietly as he started to divest himself of the attire he had so recently gotten into. At least he hadn't connected the plumbing attachments yet. A rack slid out of the wall and Mitchell hung the suit up carefully. The rack with suit vanished back into the wall. Then he stepped to the middle of the compartment. "Ready."

"Through the next hatch is a decontamination shower." The voice said calmly. "When the door opens, step forward. A mask is on a shelf just to your right. It will provide breathable air. The air will smell of chemicals. You must hold the mask over your nose and mouth and keep your eyes shut."

"Understood." Mitchell replied and the door hissed open to show another small chamber.

A shelf just to the side held the promised mask and Mitchell picked it up, holding his arm to the side as he held the mask over his nose and mouth. Indeed, it smelled of chemicals. Mitchell closed his eyes as he stepped forward. He heard the door hiss close and click locked behind him, but then he was hard pressed not to gasp as ice cold water hit him from several directions. He focused on his breathing, trying with all his might to ignore the stinging that was everywhere as he was washed. He was shivering as the spray of water ended.

"Step forward." The male voice said, still even and Mitchell did as ordered. "Three steps."

Mitchell knew that the room was too small for him to take three steps, so something must have opened while he was distracted. He jerked as a gloved hand touched his arm.

"The decontamination wash may have left chemicals." A soft female voice said from close at hand. "We must wash you thoroughly. Do not resist."

"I won't." Mitchell replied and then gasped as warm water was quickly sluiced over his body and then he felt warm things rubbing him. Drying him. He kept his eyes closed as what had to be cloths rubbed all over. Whoever was doing this was practiced and thorough. In moment, his skin was dry and his hair, while damp, was not dripping. "May I open my eyes?"

"Of course." The female voice had a smile in it.

Mitchell opened his eyes to wonder. He was standing in a small room much like the others he had been in. But this one seemed crowded by the three forms in Corpus suits who stood close to him. One held damp towels that it dropped in a hamper. Then it pulled another towel from a rack and, snapping it open, wrapped it around Mitchell's lower body.

"Thanks. Any… Any Grineer nastiness?" Mitchell asked after a moment.

"No." The young female voice said. Her helmet opened and it wasn't anyone he knew. Her face was a curious mix of old eyes and young flesh. She smiled at him and he found himself smiling back. "It is good to see you, Mitchell. My name is Janet."

"Wha- What?" Mitchell asked, confused. "My name is Mitchell D29."

"No, it is not." The woman said with a sigh. "That idiot Charliz is paying for what he did to you. The men of the Board plot and plan and all they think about is money." She patted his shoulder. "Your name is Mitchell. I assume you wish to see your squadron mate?"

"My…?" Mitchell froze. "I don't know what you mean."

"I know you are confused." The woman who called herself Janet said kindly. "And you have a right to it. We didn't know about you until it was too late. I swear to you we didn't know. We had the artifacts but no one told us that you and Anne had survived! No one. You have to believe us. If we had known… If that idiot Charliz hadn't had his fracking brainstorm…"

"I don't understand." Mitchell said weakly.

"I know." Janet said softly. "Come. We have clothing prepared for you. The Reverend Mother would like to speak with you." She laid a hand on his arm and gently pulled him along.

"The Reverend Mother?" Mitchell asked, allowing himself to be guided.

"Our guide in these troubled times." Janet said sadly. She led Mitchell into another room where a… Mitchell inhaled as he saw a set of robes hanging by one wall. They looked kind of like Tenno robes, but were gold! The woman moved to those and indicated a flightsuit nearby. It was also gold. Much like his original one. "That was made to your measurements. It should fit."

"I…" Mitchell swallowed and nodded as the other two spacesuited forms took up station by the door. Guards. He shook his head and did as ordered, focusing on his own movements and not the other. The flightsuit _did_ fit, no surprise.

"There is no shame." The woman said as Mitchell finished closing up the suit. Indeed, even the fittings were as he remembered. The patches and everything… It was like he had stepped back in time and was just Diamondback Sixteen again. "You have a fine body, young man."

"Begging your pardon, Ma'am." Mitchell said, his cheeks heating. "My mother would beat me for looking at a woman while she was changing."

"Your mother is not here." Janet said with a smile as she wrapped an odd golden covering over her head. It shrank until it framed her face, lighter gold inside, darker gold out. The whole attire looked… Mitchell wasn't sure where he knew it from but it looked like a nun's habit. "We won't tell her. Come, the Reverend Mother awaits."

Mitchell was hyperaware that the two spacesuited guards had hands on weapons as he followed the not so young woman. Janet led him to another door and it opened. Inside two forms could be seen, both clad in gold. One in a robe similar to Janet's stood. The other wore a flightsuit just like Mitchell's and sat in a chair.

"Welcome, young man." The robed form said as she turned. Her face was lined with age and sadness, but her eyes were alight as she smiled at Mitchell. "Your friend has been hoping to see you again." Mitchell's heart went flip flop as Anne looked at him, but her eyes were… wrong.

"Hello Mitchell." Anne said calmly, but her voice was also off. "I am glad the Tenno didn't hurt you."


	17. Chapter 17

**Orbital Transfer**

Mitchell froze. His whole plan had been to fake a capture by the Grineer, an incarceration on Luna and then an escape in NightNova. But if these people knew about the Tenno… He slowly shook his head.

"I see some things are… not as I expected." Mitchell said, trying to retain his equilibrium. The others did not comment. "What now?"

"Now we talk." The older woman said with a nod. "Janet, see about some refreshment for Mitchell here. Anne as well will need some too." The younger woman nodded and left the room. The guards did not move. "I am sure you have all kinds of questions. You can sit if you wish." She indicated another chair nearby. It… hadn't been there a moment before.

"If it is no imposition, I would like to stand." Mitchell said after a moment. "I spent the last couple of days sitting in Grineer armor that didn't fit very well. I have no wish to be rude, but…" He shrugged. "How much of my latest misadventures do you know?"

"Fair enough and… _Latest_?" The Reverend Mother actually chuckled. "Good choice of words. Ah yes, Anne was telling me about some of the hijinks you got up to during your war with the Separatists. 'Pilots blowing off steam', she called it. But if you think to excrete on _my_ decks, young man, think again." She waved a finger at him and he nodded. "Relax, young Mitchell. No harm will come to you. You and Anne here are far too important to let any harm you. I am surprised the Tenno let you go. Especially after rescuing NightNova."

"_Rescuing_, Ma'am?" Mitchell asked and tried to open his neural link to NightNova. Instead of speech though, a wash of static swept through his head and he could not hide a grimace.

"Don't do anything hasty, young man." The Reverend Mother said calmly. "Your neural link has been blocked. We have not been able to access NightNova's systems and until we can, we cannot trust you fully." Her voice was mild.

"I would like to know what happened, Ma'am." Mitchell said after a moment. "Anne… seems… not herself."

"She isn't." The Reverend Mother's tone was frigid now, but it wasn't directed at Mitchell. "That idiot Charliz… All of this could have been avoided if he had simply followed protocol. But no… he saw an opportunity for _profit_ and ignored everything else. Moron." Mitchell looked at her and she frowned. "I apologize, Mitchell. That man… I deal with scum like him every day. All _profit_, no thought about anything _but_ profit. I suppose… it is understandable. But that doesn't make it _right_."

"_Right_, Ma'am?" Mitchell asked. The matriarch looked at him and he shrugged. "I didn't think right or wrong mattered. Only profit."

"Well…" The Reverend Mother gave a great sigh. "From one point of view profits are always right and nothing else is. But from others…" She smiled a bit forlornly. "You up for a history lesson?"

"Sure." Mitchell agreed.

"What do you know of the Collapse?" The Reverend Mother asked calmly. "Charliz… explained that he told you very little except that Orokin was gone. Did the Tenno tell you anything?"

"Very little." Mitchell agreed. "The Emperor was slain, some say by Tenno, others by a riot. All agree that the Infested broke loose and Orokin fell."

"No one really knows exactly what happened." The Reverend Mother said sadly. "All we have are fragments, bits and pieces. The Sentient war ended, and the Empire fell. Those are the facts as we know them. Whoever or whatever was responsible may never be sorted out. Or at least not in our lifetimes." Mitchell nodded, that made sense. "But this touches on Corpus history. Do you know what the word 'Corpus' means in Old Orokin?"

"Well, in Latin it meant 'Body'." Mitchell said calmly. "I am not sure which language became Old Orokin. After my time, you know."

"Ah, true." The Reverend Mother frowned. "My apologies. Yes. It meant 'body' to our ancestors. When Orokin fell, many, many of it's citizens fled. Some in ships, others to disparate pockets of the Void, despite the known dangers. Others hid in even darker places." Mitchell's eyes narrowed and the woman nodded. "The group that became the Corpus found an out of the way place to hide, buried deep in the rock of Triton, one of the moons of Neptune." Mitchell nodded again and she continued. "The problem was… the place they found already had inhabitants." Mitchell jerked and the Reverend Mother sighed. "As humans have repeatedly done throughout their history… my ancestors… did not cover themselves in glory."

"What was on Triton?" Mitchell found himself asking.

"A small, self-contained monastery and cloister filled with gentle souls who wished only to be left alone to live and pray." The Reverend Mother said sadly. "The monks and nuns of that time had no idea what to do when a horde of half starved, desperate survivors suddenly breached their gates. They couldn't just send them away, but…" She slumped a bit. "In hindsight, that probably would have been the best thing for them to do." Mitchell's eyes went wide at that and the Reverend Mother laughed without humor. "Think about it, Mitchell. A group of desperate survivors, suddenly offered a tiny sanctuary. A sanctuary too small for all of them. These survivors had seen horror first hand. They were…" Mitchell froze and the Reverend Mother bowed her head. "The records of the time paint a brutal picture. A very brutal picture."

"How did that evolve into the Corpus?" Mitchell asked.

"The survivors had stolen a small trading ship." The Reverend Mother said quietly. "Well, stolen, commandeered, salvaged… whatever you want to call it. They had it and it had a variety of things in its holds. Some useful, some not. A barter system was quickly established between the monks and nuns, who had food, and the survivors who had power. Unfortunately, this broke down eventually. At least the actual fighting was brief by all accounts. The monks and nuns had no way to defend themselves."

"Indeed, not glorious at all." Mitchell commented.

"No." The Reverend Mother's voice held scorn as well as sadness and pity now. "What few records we have from… then until the rise of the first Board are…" She slumped a bit more. "Bad."

"You don't need to say it, Ma'am." Mitchell really didn't want to remember many of the horrors he had seen as a pilot. The Reverend Mother smiled in thanks. "What then?"

"Well…" The Reverend Mother shook herself. "People survived all across the solar system. Some of them had goods, others needed goods. The Board fulfilled a need for trade between the two. People needed goods, the board could provide them. But no one would trust them if they simply appeared in ships and started hawking their goods, would they?"

"No one smart." Mitchell agreed. "So… the Clergy?"

"It was originally a mask." The Reverend Mother said with a nod. "A way to hide where the ships came from. They borrowed the dress of the monks they had exterminated and drew up a fake religion. But… it didn't stay fake. It… evolved into more. We trace our roots back to that small doomed monastery and those poor monks and nuns who died. Where the Board is the public face of the Corpus, we are it's heart and soul. Our methods are not always gentle." Again, her face was sad. "But our goal is simple, the survival of the human race."

"Not profit?" Mitchell asked, his tone worried. He was not expecting the Reverend Mother to laugh sourly. "Ma'am?"

"If we all _die_, what use is profit? The Board has frequently lost its way." The Reverend Mother's calm veneer was just that, a veneer. Mitchell could tell she was very angry. But not at him. "The lust for money has blinded so many in human history. Our religion is not based on profit, Mitchell." She chided him gently, almost teasing. "The trappings may say so, but it is not based on _money_, Mitchell. Our currency is measured in lives, Mitchell, not credits."

"I… see…" Mitchell said even though he did not. "And Anne?" the Reverend Mother's face was sad as she reached out and stroked Anne's cheek. The woman did not react.

"When you were found, you and the remnants of your ships were classified as artifacts." The old woman said sadly. "That was our blunder. None of us thought that even that idiot Charliz could harm corpses. We took the remnants of your ships and built a prototype from the Orokin hulls." Mitchell inhaled sharply and the Reverend Mother nodded. "NightNova."

"Why?" Mitchell asked. "The whole idea seems to fly in the face of Corpus ideology. Mass produced for the least amount of resources."

"Because it was intended as a ship for _our_ emissaries." The Reverend Mother said calmly. "Not a fighter ship." Mitchel nodded slowly. Small, fast, stealthy and armed. It sort of made sense. "Problem was… the Board saw it as a threat to _their_ profits. After all, if they cannot charge _us_ for transport fees…"

"Ouch." Mitchell said with feeling and the Reverend Mother nodded.

"We explained that it was a small ship, intended as a once off. Only for special situations." The woman said with a shrug. "They didn't believe us. They allowed the Grineer to capture it and take it. They denied our requests to recover it. We could have, either in transit to Luna or even from there. They refused. Always citing it as 'unprofitable'. But mainly as a slap in the face to us."

"Somehow I can't just see you taking that without a fight, Ma'am." Mitchell shrugged. "You are not the meek and mild sort." At that, the Reverend Mother laughed again.

"Meek and mild?" the woman asked, wiping tears away from her eyes as she laughed. "Oh dear me, no. Not even close. The Board are scum, but they are hardly the only scum in the Solar System these days. When all must fight to survive, the meek and mild either get swept aside or worse." She brushed Anne's face gently. "Even the best can fall prey to the avarice of others."

"What happened to Anne?" Mitchell was more than bit unnerved by the way Anne was just sitting.

"We found out about you and Anne, Mitchell." The Reverend Mother said quietly. "After your fleet left for Phobos, there were… questions raised. We had finished the prototype, but had no suitable pilots, so we started searching our pilot corps. Imagine our surprise when we found you and Anne listed in those. And the Diamondbacks…" She shook her head. "The insignia on the ships had been clear. We sent a signal to Phobos, ordering Charliz to send you both back. He ignored us. So we sent a team to Phobos, hoping for a quick trip and a surprise inspection and seizure. He found out about it and… He did not react well."

"So… He threw the whole squadron away…" Mitchell said softly.

"To cover up what he had done." The Reverend Mother's face was grim now. "But… that wasn't the worst." Mitchell stiffened and she sighed. "We try to weed out the truly awful, Mitchell. We do. Even the Board cannot do what he did."

"What did he do?" Mitchel did not –quite- beg.

"He admired her." The Reverend Mother said sadly as she stroked Anne's hair. The sitting woman did not react. "And not in any romantic way. He wanted her. So he drugged her, hooked her up to a remote neural feed and sent her ship off with the rest of your squadron. To die. That would leave her a complaint…guest to be used at his leisure." She shook her head as Mitchell inhaled in horror. "The techs under his command were… quick to explain what they had done when put to the question. They were following orders… but…" She shrugged. "Our methods are quite harsh in such cases." She laid her hand on Anne's shoulder. "We were too late. We tried. We tried to bring her back. But the backlash from the destruction of her fighter did a great deal of damage. She goes in for another treatment in an hour, but the medics are not hopeful of her making a full recovery.."

"Why keep her alive?" Mitchell heard his voice ask.

"Cold brutal facts, Mitchell." The Reverend Mother said sadly. "We need every single fertile female human we can find just to survive in this fallen world. She doesn't need a working brain to help us survive, Mitchell." Mitchell withdrew a step and the Reverend Mother sighed. "Do you think I _want_ to do this? _Want_ to do what is a horror for any woman?"

"No!" Mitchell snapped, stepping towards Anne, but two iron grips grabbed his arms and held him despite his struggles. "Don't!"

"Anne is aware, Mitchell." The Reverend Mother said sadly. "She is aware, just… not fully. We will try to help her. And you."

"Me?" Mitchell froze in the grips that held him, but the hands did not release him. "What do you mean?" He went still as Anne spoke. Her words were halting and her eyes were wrong as she looked at him.

"You are strong…" Anne said as she leaned forward. The Reverend Mother held her shoulder to keep her from falling.

"Easy, Anne dear." The old woman said sadly. "She loves you." Mitchell was shaking his head as the woman laid an arm around Anne's shoulders to keep the woman still. "Easy, Anne."

"Wrong…" Anne said with great effort. "Mitchell… Don't… drink…" Her eyes rolled up inside her head and she sagged, but straps extruded from the chair to hold her in place.

"You need another treatment, Anne dear." The Reverend Mother said and Mitchell could do nothing as the chair Anne was in rolled away from the group to sink into a compartment that opened in the wall. A clear pane slid over the opening and then she was buoyed up as fluid filled some kind of tank. A mask appeared and covered her mouth. Then she was floating, her gold covered arms and legs moving to a fetal position. The Reverend Mother sighed sadly. "She is very confused. Her mind isn't working right and she is very afraid. We will care for her."

"I am sure you will." Mitchell snapped as he struggled in the hands that held him. But the space suited forms were far stronger than they appeared. "Augmented strength?" He asked mildly.

"Our sworn soldiers are limited in number so we augment far beyond the rank and file." The Reverend Mother said quietly. "The Board like to keep us in our place. We like to keep _them_ in theirs. We stay in the shadows for the most part. Nudging here, prodding there. Only rarely do we intervene directly, in cases such as Charliz's blatant lust harming a great asset." She corrected herself. "_Two_ great assets." She stepped forward, her hand coming up to cup Mitchell's cheek. "We were coming for you when the Tenno took you. It took some time to find you, with you deactivating your distress beacons and all, but we _were_ coming for you. Then the Tenno took you." She bowed her head. "Why did they let you go?" Mitchell tried to keep his mouth shut, but something wormed into his head from the woman's touch and he felt his mouth open.

"Wanted to help Anne." His voice said, but it was stilted, broken. "No…"

"It's okay, dear boy." The Reverend Mother said gently. "No one will harm you again. No one will _dare_." She made a motion and the hands that held Mitchell propelled him towards the chair he had spurned. They sat him down and held him down despite his struggles. "Janet, dear, he needs nourishment."

"We are ready, Reverend Mother." Janet's voice came and Mitchell tried to fight as the Reverend Mother laid a hand on his head and his mouth opened. A cup was placed under his mouth and he paused as the smell found his nostrils. Milk? "Easy, Mitchell." The woman said sadly. "It won't hurt. We won't hurt you. Indeed, we will welcome you. Drink."

Mitchell forced his mouth to shut, despite the pressure in his head. It hurt. It hurt as badly as the neural link thing that the medic had done, but he kept his mouth closed. Then the pain vanished.

"Stubborn boy." The Reverend Mother said fondly. "Resistance is futile. I can't do more. I will hurt him if I do. Guard…" Mitchell kept his mouth clamped tight as a gloved hand appeared in his field of vision and clamped his nose shut. Mitchell did not react. He could hold his breath for a long, long time. It had been part of his pilot training. As resisting interrogations had been.

"Mitchell, this is silly." Janet said sadly. "We won't hurt you. We will welcome you as a lay brother. All you have to do is drink." The cup moved up to his lips and he tried to jerk forward, to spill it, but the hand on his head clamped down and he couldn't move. "Reverend Mother…" Janet said sadly. "He will hurt himself."

"I don't want to hurt him." The Reverend Mother said softly. "He is far stronger than Anne was though. We may not have a choice."

"No. I guess not. Guard…" Janet replied. Mitchell braced himself. He could… He jerked as a fist plowed into his diaphragm. He sputtered and gasped as pain flared through him. Before he could react, warm liquid was poured into his mouth He spit as much of it up as he could and Janet gasped in shock and dismay. "Ew… Mitchell…" He struggled for all he was worth but… a warm haze was seeping across his mind now.

"More." The Reverend Mother commanded and Mitchell could not resist as warm liquid was poured into his mouth. He tried not to swallow, but a finger massaged his Adam's apple and he did. More haze enveloped him. "Drink, my boy." The woman said approvingly. "Drink of us all. Drink of our past, our present and our future. Welcome to the Clergy."

Music suddenly sounded in Mitchell's mind. Beautiful music. He was crying as it swept him up and carried him away.

* * *

_Well, this sucks…_

The small form observed from the air vent. The man was being carried to another tank similar to the one the woman was floating in. The recon trooper shook his small furred head. This was not good. Another Corpus security bot rolled through the air duct, but the small soldier remained where he was and the bot ignored him. The virus he had put in them directed all of the security bots to.

_Silly Corpus…_ The being who looked like a small calico kitten observed in the silence of his mind. _You are not the only ones who can reprogram things… Now… Where will they put him when he gets out of that blasted tank…?_


	18. Chapter 18

**Conservation of Energy**

_The furball was endless. Hundreds of enemies swirled in the blackness and Mitchell was alone. He fought on, Diamondbacks did not surrender. But he was outmatched, no matter how many of the oddly shaped enemy fighters he killed they came on. He had no idea why each of them looked like a drop of milk or why his own ship looked like a fighter pilot flight helmet, or…_

Mitchell woke up suddenly, aware of something very odd. Something scratchy was rubbing his face.

"Come on." A soft, but urgent voice demanded. "Wake up already!"

Mitchell felt warm. Very warm actually. He was warm, and whatever he was lying on was comfortable. But the voice wouldn't stop pestering him.

"Don't you _dare_ go back to sleep!" The irate young voice snapped at him. "We have, at best, ten minutes before the guards realize I looped the security cam feed. Come on! Wake up!" The scratchy thing came back and Mitchell groaned. He opened his eyes and froze.

The tiny calico kitten that was sitting on the bed beside his head was staring intently at his face and nodded as he stared at it.

"Well?" The cat demanded. "You gonna _stay_ awake this time?

"You are a cat." Mitchell grunted. Everything felt… off. He had to be dreaming. Or… he had been dreaming. The dogfight he had been in had to have been a dream too. This was… not possible.

"Well, _hello_, _Captain Obvious_." The cat replied in a snarky tone. "Of _course_ I am a cat. And _you_ are in big trouble."

"What?" Mitchell stared around and went still. The room was… luxurious. He was lying on a huge bed and he had been laid between comfortable sheets. Far more comfortable than anything he had ever seen in his memory as a pilot. Indeed, it made even his childhood memories pale. Everything was shades of blue and gold, but not bright. It was all subdued, shades guaranteed to soothe, to promote calm. He felt himself start to sag and then he jerked as pain flared in his ear. "Ow!" His hand went to his ear and came back wet. At least it wasn't bloody.

"Stay awake and I won't claw you again." The cat said with a snap as it retracted it's paw, claws sheathing. "You have got to get up and you have got to get up _now_. If they get the reprogramming done, you are screwed and so is Anne. At least they haven't moved you to the planet yet. Move it, pilot!"

"What…?" Mitchell said as he sat up. "What did they _do_ to me…? I… drank…" His stomach felt full but not.

"I don't know what was in that drink and I don't _care_." The cat snapped. "We are on short time!" But then the cat ducked under the covers and hissed at him. "Someone is coming! Cameras online again. Act stupid. Not that _that_ will be hard for you." Sharp things pressed into his side and he bit back a wince as a door he hadn't seen on one wall opened. The woman he knew as Janet walked in, a steaming tray in her hands.

"Ah, you are awake." Janet said brightly. "How do you feel, Mitchell?"

"Where is Anne?" Mitchell demanded. Well, he tried to shout it. It came out a weak croak. Janet shook her head, her face sad. She laid the tray on a table he hadn't seen.

"Mitchell, stop fighting it. It will come, one way or another. The nanites inside you are reproducing as we speak. It is not bad, brother." She said, sitting on the bedside. "The assimilation won't hurt. Just relax. Listen for the music, brother." Mitchell was trying to shake his head as Janet laid a hand against his cheek and music soared inside his head. It felt…

* * *

"Wake _up_, damn it!" The voice of the cat sounded close at hand and Mitchell jerked. He stared wildly around. Janet was gone. The tray was sitting on a table nearby, still steaming, so he hadn't been out long.

"What…?" Mitchell sat up quickly and regretted it as his head swam. "This is… I…"

"Cameras looped again. I can't keep that up though. They dosed you heavy." The cat slunk out from under the covers and looked around. "You mobile?"

"Barely…" Mitchell managed to groan. "Who are _you_?"

"Just a cat, sir." The small calico kitten said as it hopped to the floor. "Move along."

"Where did Janet go?" Mitchell asked as he swung his feet off the bed, noticing that his flightsuit had been changed to some kind of nightgown. He glanced around and there was a cabinet on one wall. He stood up slowly and walked towards it, his head throbbing and spinning in equal measure. He opened the cabinet and yes, his flightsuit hung just inside.

"She started sneezing." The cat said smugly. "Can't imagine _why_. She won't be long and we have to get your wingmate and get out of here before they realize that NightNova is not going to obey them. When _that_ happens, they will override the systems and wipe it."

"Wipe it?" Mitchell snapped as he grabbed his flightsuit. "No! We need to…" He staggered and then focused on slipping out of the nightgown and into the flightsuit. "Where is Anne?"

"Next room." The cat said quietly. "She is a mess."

"Okay." Mitchell said as he flung the nightgown into the closet and shut the door. "Two more questions. Where are we and where is NightNova?"

"We are still aboard the medical transport." The cat replied evenly from where it sat, partially concealed under the bed. "NightNova is here as well. We are about three hundred meters from the ship, but there are guards."

"You can obviously hack systems." Mitchell said as he sealed the suit. "Can you divert their attention?"

"What do you think I have _been_ doing?" The cat snapped. "Having Sunday tea?" Then it hissed. "Door to your left! Now!" Mitchell didn't question, he ran for the indicated door. It opened in front of him and the cat slid through just as it hissed shut. Mitchell stared as the cat looked at the door and its status icons went from green to red. Locked. "Won't confuse them long. We have to get out of here!"

Mitchell nodded, but his eyes were on the female form in the bed. Anne wore a gown similar to the one Mitchell had worn, but… She was obviously unconscious and she had been for some time. That wasn't the problem. The problem were the tubes that were connected to her wrists and ankles, all of which showed red in them. Blood. As he stepped forward, he also saw tubes connected to her neck.

"What the hell is _this_?" Mitchell demanded. He wasn't expecting an answer, but he got one.

"Blood filters." A soft female voice sounded and Mitchell spun to see a young woman in a gown rise from a chair he hadn't seen. The cat hissed, but the woman ignored it. Her eyes were distant. "I am… S-8976. I serve."

"Blood filters?" Mitchell asked, unconsciously moving between Anne's still form and the stranger.

"The mistress was injured. Her kidneys could not take the strain. I was selected. I serve." The odd young woman said sadly. "I am here, mistress." She strode to the bed right past Mitchell and lay down beside Anne. Mitchell went still as the odd tubes disconnected from Anne all by themselves and connected to strange woman. "I…serve…" The woman said as her eyelids drooped and she fell asleep.

"I…don't want to know…" Mitchell swallowed hard and leaned over Anne. "Anne? Can you hear me?" Anne muttered something unintelligible and Mitchell snarled. "Diamondback Nine, wake up! Now!"

"I am Diamondback _Lead_, you moron." Anne said sharply, her eyes shooting open, but then she hissed and sank back. "What the…? Mitchell?"

"Can you move?" Mitchell asked. "We have to get out of here."

"I am screwed, Mitchell." Anne said heavily. "They… The feedback… The drink… I can't… think…"

"I am not leaving you here." Mitchell gathered Anne up in his arms and nodded to the cat. It… didn't seem as odd as it should have. "Where to?"

"Are you talking to a _cat_?" Anne sounded dazed, but did not struggle.

"Yeah." Mitchell snorted as the cat strode towards what was apparently a blank wall. He didn't even flinch as a hidden door opened and the cat walked in. "Hardly the _strangest_ thing I have done recently."

"Mitchell…" Anne gasped. "They did things to my head… I hear… music… It…"

"I know." Mitchell entered the secret passage with trepidation, but relaxed as nothing happened except the door hissing shut behind him. "I hear it too."

Indeed, the beautiful music was swelling in his head as he walked, following the calico form as it scampered forward. It was… He couldn't define it. It wasn't organ music, or synthesizer music, or orchestral. It was all of these and more. It was everywhere. He followed the cat as quietly as he could, but froze as the cat did. He stepped up slowly to where the calico form stood and looked through an air vent. It was some kind of control room, and in it…

"They couldn't have _disappeared_." The Reverend Mother said harshly. "This ship is _not_ that big." She shook her head. "I have ordered us to land. We will search it from stem to stern if we must. No luck on the trackers?"

"No, Reverend Mother." Janet's face was a mess of red and she sneezed. "This is… No excuse Reverend Mother."

"Not your fault, Janet." The Reverend Mother said calmly. "We will both face punishment for this though. Damn that Charliz and his lust. He is secure?"

"In the donor wing, his mind cleansed." Janet said with a nod. "I give apology, Reverend Mother, I am not sure what is happening."

"Medical scan says it is an allergic reaction, but… odd." The Reverend Mother said as she glanced at a readout. "They are doing analysis… What?" She asked, dumbfounded as the screen lit up. "_Cat hair?_ That is impossible! The last cats died out on Earth millennia ago." Mitchell looked down at the small cat who looked up at him with a smug expression. Mitchell shook his head in silence and listened as the Elder Corpus clergywoman spoke again. "When we find Mitchell and Anne, we will need to be very careful. We need them alive and undamaged to get the genetic samples we need. Their willing cooperation would have been much more preferable, but we can't abide their resistance."

"Full wipe?" Janet sounded very sad now.

"Yes, to childhood." The Reverend Mother said with a sigh. "Reeducating them will be a pain, but without their stubborn resistance, it will go much faster."

Anne made a soft despairing nose and Mitchell shushed her. The two in the room seemed not to hear. The cat, however moved off rapidly. Mitchell followed. At the next junction the cat spoke.

"We are blown." The cat said sharply. "They heard us."

"You sure?" Mitchell asked, but then shook his head. "Of course you are. Stupid question. How far?"

"Did that cat just _talk_?" Anne asked weakly. "Or is my mind _more_ of a mess than I thought?"

"He talked." Mitchell said dryly. "After a while, you will _pray_ he shuts up." The cat just looked at him, it's teeth bared in a feline grin and Mitchell sighed again. "We need to get out of here before the transport lands."

"Corridor ahead leads to the hangar." The cat said quietly. "It is guarded."

"Of course it is." Mitchell said with a sigh. "Can you walk, Anne?" He set her in her feet, but she crumpled.

"I don't think so…" Anne said weakly.

"Suck it up, Diamondback!" Mitchell snapped. "We have work to do." Anne jerked but nodded. Mitchell turned to the cat. "Diversion?"

"Those guards have stayed through everything I have thrown at the crew in the last few minutes." The cat said quietly. "Seriously disciplined." Indeed, now Mitchell could hear alarms in the distance.

"Or scared out of their minds at the punishment that the Reverend Mother will drop on them." Mitchell shook himself. "Okay, then we do it that hard way." Anne stared at him, fear coming to her face.

"Mitchell, no…" Anne said sharply, grabbing at him.

"I can run, you can't." Mitchell set her on her feet.

"Mitchell." The cat said quietly. "The fighter will only answer to you." Mitchell cursed but nodded, manifestly against his will. "Can you contact it?"

_NightNova?_ Mitchell sent and was gratified by an instant response.

_Mitchell, the Corpus are trying to hack this unit's systems._ The fighter replied, relief in its voice. _This unit has held them out for the moment, but cannot be sure of how much longer._

_That is odd. _Mitchell stared at the wall, confused. _Shouldn't they have access by now?_

_Yes._ The fighter replied, uneasy. _It is as if they are waiting for something._

_Whatever it is cannot be good for us._ Mitchell said with a sigh. The cat and Anne looked at him and he nodded. _We are just outside a hatch, but it is guarded. We have no weapons and Anne is barely mobile._

_Which hatch?_ NightNova replied. _Never mind. Triangulated. This unit believes the proper phrase is 'take cover'._

"Down!" Mitchell yelled. He threw Anne down, landing on top of her as he grabbed the cat and pulled it close as well. The entire ship seemed to lurch sideways and then fall a bit. Mitchell waited until the reverberations had faded and then let the cat wriggle loose. "Status?" He asked as the cat did… something.

"Clear. Remind me not to tick NightNova off…" The cat said in an odd tone as a door appeared in front of the cat. Mitchell swung to his feet, pulling Anne's shuddering form up into a carry. He stepped out after the cat and stared. What had been a hatch was now a _hole_. He stared into the hangar at the front of NightNova and the open gunport that was closing. NightNova had hit the hatch with a _plasma cannon_. What was left of the guards didn't bear mentioning. He turned and stared at what had been the next hatch in line. And the one after _that_…

_This unit suggests you hurry. Multiple armed hostiles are responding to the weapon's discharge__._

Mitchell started off at a trot, the cat running towards the sleek black escape that NightNova offered. The canopy opened and the ladder slid down. Mitchell helped Anne start to climb and watched as the cat ran to one of the consoles nearby. Wires and tubes retracted from NightNova and the cat was running back…

"No!" Mitchell screamed as a rifle sounded and the cat fell in a heap. He darted forward and slid to a stop, scooping up the still form and swinging back to run. The guards who had run in from another hatch…didn't fire.

"Mitchell! Stop!" The voice of the Reverend Mother came from a hidden speaker as he darted into cover under the ship. "We don't want to hurt you! Stand down. We won't hurt you!"

"No, you want to _enslave_ me!" Mitchell snapped. _NightNova, is Anne in?_

_She is. Strapping her in now._ The fighter's fear for Mitchell came through loud and clear. _Pilot… They have sealed the door. A force field will prevent the guns from blasting it open. We are trapped._

_Activate self-destruct, NightNova. Two minute timer. I won't give her up._ _Or you._ Mitchell said as the guards approached slowly, rifles at the ready. They all stopped as an alarm blared. "How about that, _bitch_?" Mitchell snapped as he rose to his full height, careful with the hurt form in his hand.

"Mitchell, no!" The Reverend Mother cried in what was apparent grief. "Don't! You will kill everyone on this _ship_! There are dozens of non-combatants here."

"Slaves." Mitchell snapped. "Like that girl with Anne?"

"That girl was a volunteer." The Reverend Mother said sadly. "Anne's blood needed filtering, she offered."

"And I am sure she had all kinds of choices before that. Work or _die_." The sarcasm in Mitchell's voice could have cut steel. "Do you even bother to _name _them?"

"Her name is Lissandra." The Reverend Mother said weakly. "She is _shy_! She uses her designation with strangers. But she _did_ volunteer. She wanted to help! Mitchell, _please_!"

"We are leaving." Mitchell said softly. "The _only_ way you will stop us is to shoot me. Now." The hand not holding the still cat patted his chest. "Right here. Right now. You will not wipe me or Anne back to childhood!"

"I…" The Reverend Mother sounded sad now. "Mitchell… It would be a kindness for Anne. She has seen so much, lost so much. For you? You would belong. We would make you welcome."

"At the cost of _who_ I am." Mitchell snarled, backing away from the guards towards the ladder. "No thanks. I prefer to fly."

"Mitchell, we would _let_ you fly!" The Reverend Mother said sharply. "Please! We need you. You and Anne and NightNova and that cat… What has to be one of the _Feline Corps_… We thought them all dead."

"To you, we are." The cat's voice was weak. Mitchell looked down at the form and the cat made a noise of pain. "Mitchell… go… Leave me…"

"I don't leave my wingmen." Mitchell said with a shake of his head. "What is it going to be, _Reverend Mother_?" He demanded. "Live or die?"

"All guards… back off…" The Reverend Mother said sadly. "Let them go. I hope… someday… to see you again, Mitchell. To explain. We are not your enemies."

"Could have fooled me." Mitchell snapped as he threw himself up the ladder. The canopy sealed as he laid the still form of the cat on Anne's lap. Her hand came down to cradle it in place as Mitchell swung into his own seat. The helmet came down as well and Mitchell started to pull it into place, but then paused.

"Abort destruct. This is too easy…" Mitchell said slowly. "NightNova?"

"Hangar bay is clear. Enemy have retreated. Indeed, something is not right." NightNova shared his worry. "Orders?"

"Plan Eight. Do not link with me or Anne." Mitchell said slowly. "Set course to Mars. Full stealth and full available speed. Check for trackers." Acceleration pushed Mitchell into his seat, and he lay back. But then he paused.

The music in his mind was increasing in strength.

_Good boy._ The Reverend Mother's voice was gentle, but he was suddenly a passenger in his own body. _Sleep Mitchell. When you wake… we will finish what we started._

He was screaming silently as he fell into the music again.


	19. Chapter 19

**Ballistic trajectory**

Mitchell woke, aware of his body doing things. He wasn't in control.

_Relax Mitchell._ The voice of the Corpus Reverend Mother was calm and assured. _No one will harm you. We need to find out here the cat came from. Once that is done, you and Anne will return for treatment._

_Get out of my mind! _Mitchell screamed silently. _NightNova!_

_The ship cannot hear you. _The Reverend Mother chided him gently. _Did you really think it would be that easy to get away?_

_No._ Mitchell admitted. _I didn't. The whole thing about the air vent into the secret passage was a bit overdone. And no security cam in Anne's room? Yeah, right._

_We did wonder how you had woken so quickly._ The Reverend Mother said with a sigh. _The cat?_

_Like I am going to tell you anything. _Mitchell snapped. But then the music soared again and he was floating on it. It soothed him, cajoled him, stroked him and then left him to gasp.

_You cannot win, boy._ The Reverend Mother sounded sad. _All that you do is hurt yourself. I have been guiding souls along our path for four centuries, Mitchell. _Mitchell was terrified to hear his voice speak, but it wasn't him doing the speaking. "NightNova? Status?"

"On profile." NightNova replied. "Queen to queen's level three."

"What?" Mitchell heard himself ask. "I… Oh… Never mind. Carry on." _Mitchell…_ The Reverend Mother's voice was both admiring and chiding. _A code phrase_. _How… quaint._

_Bite me._ Mitchell snapped in his mental prison.

_Ah, if only I had the time._ The Reverend Mother said with a sigh. _I could show you heights of pleasure you can only dream of. But we will be approaching Mars shortly. What is the code, Mitchell?_ Pressure started to mount on Mitchell's mind, but he ignored it.

_I must not fear. _He spoke evenly, but it was hard. _Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain__._

_Interesting._ The Reverend Mother said in open admiration. _A good litany. We need to remember that one. I wonder where you learned that. Perhaps we can discover that before we wipe you. Perhaps not. _Mitchell grunted as more pressure was placed on his mind. _Oh? A book called 'Sand'? No. Frank Herbert's 'Dune'. Nice._

_No…_ Mitchell snapped. _Back off!_

_I can't do that, Mitchell. I am sorry._ The Reverend Mother said, in tone, her voice was honestly sad. _I will be as gentle as I can, dear boy. What is the code answer? Come on, boy. All you are doing is prolonging the pain._

_N…Never…_ Mitchell managed to say through the pressure that was slamming into his mind now. _Diamondbacks… forever…_

_So be it._ The Reverend Mother said gently and a lance of pure power tore into Mitchell's mind. He couldn't even gasp as the pain redoubled. _Ah…_ '_Queen to king's level 1. Checkmate__.__' Interesting choice. I didn't know you played three dimensional chess. We will have to play sometime. _The pain ebbed and died, but the control did not falter.

_No…_ Mitchell tried to struggle, but the mind gripping his was too strong.

"NightNova." Mitchell heard his voice speak. "Queen to king's level 1. Checkmate."

"Code accepted." NovaNight replied audibly. "Orders?"

"Status of passengers?" Mitchell's puppeteer asked. It sounded to any listeners as if he were worried about the others. Which he was. She was. Whatever.

"The cat's injuries are severe, but not life threatening." NightNova replied. It sounded worried now. "The subject designated 'Anne' is more worrisome. Her vitals are dropping. Suggest keeping subject asleep until reaching medical assistance."

"Good idea." Mitchell's controller agreed. Mitchell's head swiveled and he watched a mask settle over Anne's nose and mouth. She sighed and relaxed fully into sleep. "Any idea where that cat came from?"

"No." NightNova replied. "It was not aboard this unit at the last scan." If Mitchell could have blinked, he would have. Why wasn't NightNova telling when the last scan was? The ship was usually far more helpful than that. "We are approaching the designated rendezvous."

"Anything on scan?" Mitchell heard his passenger ask.

"A beacon." NightNova sounded perplexed. "Querying." After a moment, the ship spoke again. "It shows a set of landing coordinates on Mars. They correspond to an abandoned Corpus mining operation."

"Anything _else_ on scan?" Mitchell's controller asked, cautious.

"Negative." NightNova replied.

"I see." The mind controlling Mitchell squeezed his. _Who did you meet here before, Mitchell?_

_Fuck you! _Mitchell screamed in the dark recesses of his mind.

_Mitchell…_ The mind of the old woman was resigned now. _Very well, you leave me no choice._ The lance of energy came back and Mitchell screamed in his mind as it tore deep into his psyche, laying bare every ounce of himself. The touch turned gentle as he sobbed in the grip that held him. _Oh, boy… I am sorry…_ The Reverend Mother said sadly. _But we don't have time for you to prevaricate. Tenno. There were __**Tenno**__ here. Where did they go? Ah, you don't know… And you don't know where the cat came from._

All Mitchell could do was weep as his mind was sifted by the power that held it.

_Shh…_ The old woman soothed him. _It's okay, boy. It will be okay. Just relax. Once we discover where the cats hid, we will return you to our Sanctuary for treatment. They made… very effective spies. Dangerous, but potentially useful. If we can find young ones, we can raise them ourselves, have a corps of our own._

"Approaching coordinates." NightNova spoke quietly. "Signal detected emanating from the mine. Landing bay identified. Orders?"

"Land us." The Reverend Mother said through Mitchell. "Any sign of anyone?"

"Negative." NightNova replied. "This is… suboptimal, pilot. This area is unsecured. Dangerous."

"For right now, all we can do is follow instructions." The woman controlling him replied through Mitchell. "I hope for some medical assistance." The canopy turned dark as the ship entered the landing bay. "Keep me posted."

"Hangar bay closing. This unit does not recommend you exit." NightNova said flatly. "This mine is laced with high levels of several rare ores. They block scans and will block most forms of signal."

Mitchell felt hope soar but it was quashed as the Reverend Mother laughed in his mind.

_So NightNova will never see my backup ships arrive._ The woman said with glee. _Good._

_I… I hope Infested eat me… _Mitchell snapped at her. It was all he could do. _And I hope you feel it!_

_Calm down._ The Reverend Mother commanded. _Or I will knock you out._ "Anne needs medical attention." The puppeteer controlling Mitchell said reasonably. "I will reconnoiter, but cautiously."

"Very well." NightNova said, but it sounded uneasy. "This unit will be on guard." The canopy went up.

Mitchell tried to fight as the straps released him and his body rose from the seat. It moved carefully to exit the ship, taking the ladder with care. His body stopped for a moment at the base of the ladder, but the hangar bay was silent and empty except for the black bulk of NightNova. Mitchell felt astonishment as his hand hit a panel he hadn't known was there and a Spectra pistol slid into his waiting hand.

_You scum like your secrets._ He spat in his mind.

_Secrets keep people alive, Mitchell dear._ The Reverend Mother said calmly. _And right now, I would like to keep you alive if you don't object__._

_But I __**do**__ object to being a slave._ Mitchell snapped.

_How many times do I have to say it?_ The Reverend Mother asked in a weary tone. _You won't be a slave. Anne won't be a slave. NightNova won't be a slave. All of you will be part of the whole. Valued parts of the whole. The cat would be a valuable addition as well, but hurt as it is… We don't have any veterinary databases. We haven't needed them._

_Of course, if I don't remember being me, why would I rebel?_ Mitchell snarked.

_If you were not such a pain in the __**butt**__, we wouldn't have to take such extreme measures._ The Corpus clergywoman responded without heat. Mitchell's body paused in its sweep of the hangar bay. _Now… this is odd…_

In form it was a flat cylinder with a large red cross-shaped symbol on it. A field medikit. It was sitting by one wall. It was all alone. Nothing else shone near it. Nothing at all. Blank floor, blank wall, and even blank ceiling when Mitchell's body looked up.

_Now… Who would leave a __**medikit**__ just sitting out here?_ The woman running Mitchell's body didn't move it at all. Instead, his head swiveled from side to side, the pistol tracking where the eyes went. _This has to be a trap. But… where…? _Mitchell could only watch as the person guiding his body made it walk forwards and touch the medical supplies. Nothing happened. _This is… odd. What? No!_

Mitchell had a bare moment to blink as the world fell away.

* * *

"You know…" A familiar voice sounded and Mitchell stared up at an unfamiliar form as it strode to stand over him protectively. Olim! In a warframe! It had gold hoops arcing over it's helmet. "Every time I think I have seen every evil you people can do… You surprise me. And _not_ in a good way." Mitchell lay on something that glimmered. Other glimmering things were all around. He couldn't –quite- make any of it out.

"Tenno." The voice of the Reverend Mother was fierce, Mitchell turned to see her standing nearby, her posture intent. She wore the same robes she had worn before. "He is _ours_. You are _not_ welcome here."

"Funny." Olim replied. "From Mitchell's reactions, I would say it is _you_ who is not welcome in his mind, Corpus hag." Mitchell tried to move and couldn't.

"I prefer when you are silent." The Reverend Mother said calmly, her hands folded in front of her. "You cannot win, Betrayer. If you strike me down, Mitchell dies."

"I bet he would prefer that to your benevolent slavery." Olim said, not moving from where he stood. "But… in this case? Not needed." He said mildly. "I am not here to fight. I am just here to… limit the collateral damage. Pilots…" He winced a bit. "Pilots can be a bit indiscriminate with ordnance on occasion." Mitchell stopped struggling against whatever held him. "High speed and all, you know?"

"What?" The Reverend Mother demanded. "What do you mean?" Instead of responding, Olim looked up and started counting!

"Five… Four… Three…" The Tenno bent down to cover Mitchell's immobile form. "Two… One… Now. Now. Now."

Something hit the ground in front of Mitchell. If not for Olim crouching down and shielding the helpless human, he likely would have been hurt badly by the blast. As Olim straightened, Mitchell went still. A familiar form stood between the human and his guardian and the now stunned looking Reverend Mother. But the last he had seen that warframe, it had been _mangled_…

"We have a prior claim." Li said calmly, her warframe immaculate. Mitchell had heard someone call her armor a Zephyr. A spirit of the air. That fit.

"You Tenno cannot take what is ours!" The Reverend Mother's face turned ugly with hate. "He is ours!"

"Actually… no." Li said, still calm. She hadn't drawn any weapons even though she had them on her warframe. "You see… He was a Diamondback _before_ you scum found him and brainwashed him. He is _still_ a Diamondback." Mitchell treasured the dumbfounded look that came over the Reverend Mother's face. "Diamondbacks forever."

"You are Li." The woman said softly.

"And you…" Li said quietly. "…are a _fraud_. A liar. A charlatan. You are no holy woman. No Messiah. I give you this _one_ chance. Leave his mind. Now."

"Or?" The Reverend Mother asked scornfully. Li shifted her stance a little.

"Hang on to your lunch, Mitchell…" Olim shook his head slowly. "We are going for a ride."

That was the only warning Mitchell had. One moment, he was lying on the odd glimmering surface, whatever it was, the next he was suspended in midair, the Tenno above him gripping an arm tight enough to hurt as gale force winds slammed down and picked him up. The Corpus woman flew one direction and Li flew another. Olim and Mitchell went a third. Somehow, over the rush of wind, he heard Olim speak.

"We are inside your mind, Mitchell." The Tenno said, impossibly calm as Li and the Corpus woman flew further apart, then shot at each other, sprays of energy coming from each collision. "This is your ground, your rules."

"What is Li…doing?" Mitchell managed to grate out. It hurt. A lot.

"Distracting the enemy." Olim said with a sigh. "She can't win. She is still too weak. She doesn't care."

"Wing… leader…" Mitchell swallowed hard. "Have to help my wing leader…"

"Mitchell." Olim said quietly. "This is your mind, but you are weak and sick from what the Corpus did to you. What do you want? I can help."

"Why?" Mitchell asked, stunned. "Why help me? Tenno were always… aloof… separate…"

"We are." Olim agreed. "We are different. That doesn't make us better or worse than humans, despite many people on many sides thinking that. We are just different. Some act noble, some don't. We are all that we have. But we can like people. We like you. And our sister is protecting you." He gave Mitchell a small shake. "Come on, Li can't hold that hag for long."

Mitchell stared at the combat in the distance. He couldn't see what the adversaries were throwing at each other, but then his heart plummeted as Li gave a cry and fell, spinning out of control. The Corpus clergywoman stood in midair, her face triumphant.

"Fighter…" Mitchell managed to croak out and suddenly he was astounded to find himself behind the stick of an old style biplane. A familiar one. He felt faint for a moment. This was a Gloster Gladiator. He and his father had spent years after finding the sad pile of metal one day to get it rebuilt and flying. Even for the time it was in service, in the middle of the twentieth century pre-Orokin, it had been obsolete almost as soon as it had been put into service. But there was nothing at all wrong with the aircraft. He kicked the rudder pedals and the plane spun just as he remembered it. But… There was one difference. Actually… Six of them. He hit the button on his stick and was amazed to hear roars from all around him. But… no bullets flew. Instead, bright blobs of energy danced from the two guns on the fuselage, the two guns on the lower wings and the two guns on the upper wings. The biplane shuddered in mid-air. He smiled grimly and turned towards where the Corpus nun hung in midair.

"What is this?" The woman asked, her tone incredulous. "An _airplane_? Mitchell… is this a _joke_?"

"Yes." Mitchell said just as sweetly. "And here is the punch line."

He centered his gunsight on the form that hung there and hit the trigger again. Six lines of bright energy traced from the biplane to the astonished looking Corpus clergywoman and she screamed as she recoiled. His heart leaped, but then he stiffened as she laughed.

"Nice." The woman said as she accelerated in midair. "The Tenno are helping you. I wonder why? Well… We will have it out of you eventually."

"Got to catch me first." Mitchell said with a smirk as he turned the spunky little plane on it's side and dove past her. She grabbed for it, but missed as he spun his controls expertly. "Oh, I have _missed_ this…"

"Come back here, you brat!" The Corpus woman was obviously losing patience. She closed again and again, only for Mitchell to evade her grip by millimeters at times. "Argh!" She shouted. "This is pointless. You can't win! Even the Tenno can't help you win."

"I know." Mitchell said simply and the woman went stiff for a moment, then pursued again.

"Then come home, Mitchell." The woman said sadly. "We will care for you."

"No." Mitchell said, evading another grab and spinning away in a turn that only _looked_ out of control. "I am enjoying myself… While I can." Far, far below, he saw two specks. Li was climbing, Olim beside her. Both were trying to reach him. But they were too far away.

"Mitchell, enough." The woman said sternly. Suddenly, his plane and the woman were surrounded by a glowing golden net. It started to shrink. "You can't escape."

"Escape?" Mitchell actually laughed. "Who said anything about _escape_?" He turned the plane on it's right side and looked down at Li who was trying to close the distance, but having no success. The flying Tenno stopped in mid-air as Mitchell took his right hand off the stick and gave her a crisp salute. "Diamondbacks _forever!_" He called.

"_Mitchell!_" Li screamed. "_**No!**_" Olim grabbed her and the two Tenno vanished.

"What the…?" The Corpus woman asked, falling away.

"Tell me something." Mitchell said calmly as he spun the small plane so it pointed at the Corpus clergywoman again and pulled the trigger. Lines of fire hit the woman, but this time, they bounced off. "We are inside my mind. I get that. You ever hear the term '_kamikaze'_?" He pushed the throttle all the way forward and the small plane jumped forward.

"_Mitchell_!" The woman begged as she tried to evade, but the Gloster Gladiator –or the mental reproduction of one- was just as nimble as she was. "_No_!"

"_Get out of my head!_" Mitchell screamed as the woman tried harder to flee, but ran into the net she had set to block _him_. "_I am not your slave!_"

Just as he was about to hit her, she and the net both vanished. But her voice sounded again.

"So be it." The sadness in the ancient woman's voice was palpable. "We _will_ find you, dear boy. We _will_ bring you back to the fold."

"Maybe." Mitchell said sourly. "But not _today_. Get out of my head. _Now_." A sharp pain hit him between the eyes and he was in a flat spin, spinning out into blackness… He smiled a bit grimly.

_Only good way for a pilot to go. Flying… Diamondbacks forever…_

* * *

"Mitchell… Come on…" Mitchell stared up into the visor of a warframe. It was… not one he knew. It had an odd loop on the back it's helmet. Almost a halo. "Not after all of this… Come on, stay with us…"

"Diamond…backs…" Mitchell whispered as darkness came for him. "for-…"

"No!" The Tenno shouted and grabbed hold of him. "_Not_ after all of this. _Stay_, you stupid pilot! That's an _order_!"

"You are not my commander." Mitchell managed to get out. The darkness was crowding his senses again. He was spinning. Everything was spinning.

"No, but I speak for her." The odd warframe snapped. "Hang on, Mitchell. We have you." A sudden, burning pain flew across Mitchell's entire body and he screamed in agony as his body dissolved.


	20. Chapter 20

**Free Flight**

Mitchell was floating. No, he was _flying!_ He was behind the stick of the biplane again, savoring the feeling of the wind in his hair as he banked and dove, the machine responsive to his slightest touch.

"Enjoying yourself?" A familiar voice asked. Olim. Mitchell didn't look.

"Yeah." Mitchell said with a smile as he did what twentieth century pilots would have called an 'Immelman', climbing and rolling the plane to reverse his course. "I had forgotten… how fun this is…" He shook his head. "This isn't real. I know that. This biplane was likely scrap metal even before the Separatists were defeated. But oh my _god_, it's fun." He dove the plane and then pulled back on the stick. He did a loop and then came out of the loop and went directly into a barrel roll. "I have to go back, don't I?"

"There is no rush." Olim said quietly. Somehow his voice was clearly audible over the roar of the engine and the wind. "I have saved and copied this simulation. It will be available any time you want it."

"It's not real." Mitchell said softly. "It's fun. But it is not real. Part of the thrill of flight is the danger. The rush of beating gravity or vacuum in the case of space."

"I can see that." Olim said after a moment. "Our challenges define us. The greater the challenge, the greater the rush when we beat it."

"Yeah." Mitchell throttled the plane back to just above stall speed and sighed. "Anne? NightNova? The cat?" He asked with a smile.

"Anne… is a mess." Olim said sadly. "The doctors are not hopeful. The damage that was done… Is probably permanent. The only spot of good news is that the damage prevented the Corpus from taking _her_ over like they did you."

"Do they know what caused it?" Mitchell asked after a moment. "The Corpus said that she was hurt by feedback from when her fighter was destroyed."

"It may very well have been that." Olim sounded dejected. "It's not exactly like any kind of damage that the docs have seen. They are looking through records, but no one is finding much. She is awake and aware, but…"

"She won't be flying again." Mitchell spoke harshly and then paused. "Neither will I, will I?"

"We don't know." Olim admitted. "When you tossed the Corpus witch out of your mind, we blocked her access. It was rough, quick and dirty. We don't _know_ if we have done permanent damage to your brain. We _won't_ until the docs are done testing."

"And for that, I have to wake up." Mitchell said softly. "NightNova?"

"The ship surrendered as it said it would." Olim said with a nod. "Riana and I have been talking with it. It is not sure what to do now. It wants to talk to you."

"Can you… bring it in here?" Mitchell asked after a moment. For a moment, there was silence. "Not if it's any- Whoa!" He said quickly as huge black shape appeared beside the small biplane. "Hi NightNova."

"Pilot Mitchell." The ship said calmly. "This unit is gratified to see that you live." It didn't make sense that he was hearing the ship, but then again… This was some kind of virtual simulation. Normal rules didn't apply.

"Olim said you surrendered." Mitchell said as he banked the small biplane around the huge black space craft, admiring it's lines.

"This unit knew you were in trouble as soon as you did not give the code response immediately. Your neural readings were off." NightNova sounded dejected now. "This unit could not help you."

"NightNova…" Mitchell said softly as he pulled the small plane over the top of the larger ship. "We both knew going in that getting Anne back was a long shot. I didn't know about our 'special' reinforcements. Did you?"

"This unit was contacted by the special operations operative after you had been drugged." NightNova said quietly. "It was a surprise."

"I bet. How is he?" Mitchell asked. "Do you know?"

"The plasma bolt that struck him amputated one of his legs and caused significant tissue damage." NightNova replied. "But he is alive, aware and apparently making the medic's lives miserable."

"Why does that not surprise me?" Mitchell had to laugh at that. "Ah, my friend. My partner. Anne can't fly again. _I_ may not be able to fly again."

"The Corpus have earned this unit's wrath several times over." NightNova replied evenly. "If the Tenno allow it, this unit would wish to repay the Corpus some of what they owe this unit."

"NightNova, be very careful." Mitchell said softly. "I had this discussion with Li a long, long time ago. Back after my very first combat. Did you scan that?"

"This unit… remembers." NightNova replied after a moment. "Commander Li told you that when a man sought vengeance he should dig two graves."

"One for his enemy and one for himself." Mitchell's voice was full of pained memory. "Vengeance isn't the answer, NightNova."

"Then what should this unit do?" NightNova nearly begged.

"Well…" Mitchell smiled a bit. "I bet the Tenno could use some space combat support on occasion. But that would put you under their command. Could you do that?"

"This unit does not know." NightNova replied after a moment. "This unit will think on that. For now, this unit will assist the Tenno by providing real time intelligence until the Corpus manage to severe this unit's feed. That may take some time as this unit was designed to be hardwired into all of the com nets."

"Hard wired?" Mitchell asked and then nodded. "I see. You were intended as a Clergy special response ship. They wouldn't have wanted their operatives to be denied intelligence."

"Indeed." NightNova agreed. "This unit will help the Tenno in their fight against the Grineer and Corpus as long as it is able. This unit hopes to fly with you again someday, Diamondback Sixteen."

"The feeling is mutual." Mitchell nodded. "But I have been moping too long. Time to wake up." He said with a sigh and…

* * *

"Take it easy, Mitchell." Amelia's voice brought Mitchell to full consciousness. "You have been asleep quite a while." Mitchell opened his eyes and was not surprised to find himself back in the dojo, the medical ward that he remembered. The doc smiled at him. "How you doing?"

"Not bad, considering." Mitchell said with a smile to match hers. "Seeing as how I had an evil Corpus witch in my head… I guess I am pretty good. Are you sure she is gone?"

"Not totally." Amelia's face fell as Mitchell's did. "What they did was evil. The nanites have been flushed out of your system, but the neural connections are still there. We cannot severe them without literally maiming you. Which was the point I think." She patted his hand. "We have a _lot_ of tests to run, but preliminary scans show no sign of other minds in yours."

"The call was compelling." Mitchell said as he sat back in the bed. "It felt… good. I knew it was bad, but it felt good." He shook himself, pushing the memory away. "Anne? The cat?"

"Anne is… a mess." Amelia said sadly. "Even with first rate medical care, what happened to her left scars. Once we are sure she –and you- are clean we will be sending you both to a highly secure rehabilitation facility." Mitchell nodded. "As for the cat?" She sighed. "He is a _pain_."

"Speak for yourself, doc." A familiar voice sounded and Mitchell's face creased in a grin as a small form jumped up onto his bed. "Good to see you awake, pilot. Done lounging around?" The small calico kitten asked sourly.

"Oh, I dunno." Mitchell's grin went wider as the cat stalked towards him, but it faltered as he saw one hind leg was missing. He shook his head. "I am sorry."

"What for?" The cat asked. "My own dumb fault I got shot. My instructors would be very annoyed. Run, _then_ dodge _then_ run. Not the other way around. The docs here are working on regen therapy."

"When he _lets_ us." Amelia said with a smile as the cat preened at her. "Be good, Matril or I will sic Cecelia on you again." Somehow the cat's face conveyed horror as it looked at the doc and she smirked. "Turnabout is fair play, huh?"

"Do I want to know?" Mitchell asked as the cat shuddered and curled up on his stomach.

"That girl is a _menace_." The cat said sourly.

"She gave him a bath." Amelia translated.

"She is a fracking _tyrant_." Matril snapped.

"She has taken over the 'momma cat' roles. Training, feeding, cleaning, all of that." Amelia translated again, eliciting a frustrated hiss from the calico cat. But then she slumped. "I know you are chafing Matril, but we want to shift all of you at once. You are not critical like some of Iriana's patients were."

"I don't _mind_, doc." The cat said after a moment. "Mostly. Usually. I know she means well… But… I am _not_ a lap cat." Mitchell stared at the cat and then at his stomach. The cat eyes him crossly. "If you want to stay unclawed, _don't_ say it."

"All I am going to say is 'Thank you, Matril'." Mitchell's voice was suddenly husky. "Without you, I would be a slave right now. I owe you."

"Just doing my job." The cat said with a sigh. "Although… if you happen across a plate of meat… I wouldn't say no. These docs only feed me _broth_…" His tone said volumes about he felt about _that_.

"Your stomach won't be able to handle heavy foods for another couple of days, Matril." Amelia's tone was resigned. They had apparently had this discussion before. "You shouldn't even be out of bed yet, but none of us want to get clawed trying to keep you in it."

"Smart." Mitchell said with a chuckle. "Matril… May I?" He asked as he held up a hand.

"Tickle me and you _will_ lose a hand." Matril replied, but then stretched as Mitchell petted him gently. "You okay?" The cat asked after a moment, pleasure rocking his tone.

"I don't know." Mitchell admitted. "All I ever knew as flying. If I can't… I don't know. I guess… We better find out?" He asked Amelia who nodded.

"I will start the tests and we can go from there." Amelia said, pulling a hand held scanner from a pocket. "Lie back and relax."

"With a special ops trooper sitting on my stomach?" Mitchell said with a snort. "Not hardly." Amelia and Matril both laughed at that.

**Several days later**

"I can walk, Mitchell." Matril protested. But he didn't jump down from Mitchell hands. Indeed, he snuggled close. The two males had developed a somewhat odd relationship while Mitchell had been poked and prodded by the docs. It was based on mutual respect. But…

"Wouldn't want to bruise those soft pads." Mitchell said with a grin. "Besides, you are getting _fat_."

"It's _muscle_." Matril said with a grunt of pain. Mitchell stiffened and Matril sighed. "Yes, it hurts. No, I am not dying. Calm down." He muttered something that sounded like 'silly human' under his breath. _Mostly_ under his breath anyway.

"If you want to walk, I will let you." Mitchell said calmly. "Just say the word."

"Nah. You need a minder." The cat replied haughtily. "And I got the job. So mush!" Mitchell sighed but didn't even try to fight the grin that crept across his face.

"You two are _bad_." Amelia said as she walked beside them. "_One_ of you at a time was bad enough. _Both_ of you _together_?" She winced dramatically, but she was smiling.

Mitchell was smiling too, but he was also careful with Mitral. He didn't entirely trust the cat with the embroidery on his uniform. His uniform was… unfamiliar. It was right. He knew it was. The memories were clear, but… it didn't _feel_ right. He was gratified that the Tenno had taken the time to research his old unit insignia and Orokin navy dress uniforms and then to put them together for Anne and himself. He wasn't entirely sure why they had-

Mitchell's thought came to an abrupt halt as the door opened and Anne sat in a wheeled chair just outside. But it was the man who was standing beside her -obviously an escort- that had Mitchell's eyebrows try to climb off his face. The pilot inhaled sharply and he felt Mitral's answering shock.

He knew the uniform. _Anyone_ who had ever served in the Orokin military knew the uniform. It hadn't changed since the days of the First Tenno. _At all_. The uniform was blue instead of the gold hue that Mitchell and Anne's dress uniforms were. Mitchell seemed to remember that there had been people who had tried to change the uniform to fit in with the other forces. It…. hadn't ended well. Where Mitchell and Anne's uniforms had flat topped caps that were the same color as the rest of their uniforms, this man's cap was pure white. A spotless white belt secured an honest to god _saber_ to the man's waist and lighter blue pants with a red stripe down the side gave way to shoes that were shined so brightly that Mitchell swore he could see his reflection in them. But the insignia on the man's shoulder was almost worse.

A pair of crossed rifles shone between three golden chevrons and two golden rockers. Enlisted rank seven. In the Orokin Navy that would have made this man a Chief Petty Officer. But this man was not Navy. Oh no… Not in _that_ uniform. Of course, some had said less than complimentary things about the people who wore it, but softly. No one _sane_ irritated Orokin Marines.

"Sir." The man in the Gunnery Sergeant's stripes gave a crisp salute. "Gunnery Sergeant Miguel Smith, at your service, Sir." Mitchell returned the salute. That at least felt right. He dropped the salute and the sergeant dropped his.

"Good morning, Gunnery Sergeant. Um…?" Mitchell asked slowly. "I wasn't aware that shifting us between hospitals was a Class 'A' occasion." Marines were weird, but even _they_ didn't walk around with swords on _all_ the time that Mitchell could recall.

"Ordinarily, it is not, sir." The Sergeant Major said calmly. "These are not ordinary circumstances." He took up position beside Anne's chair and she roused a bit. "Easy, Ma'am."

"Sergeant…? Mitchell? I…can't see… very well…" Anne's voice was very weak. "I slept… I dreamed I was flying…" Mitchell glanced at the sergeant who nodded to him.

"Anne?" Mitchell said gently. "It's okay. You are okay. I am here and you are okay." He looked at Amelia who slumped a bit and shook her head. "Come on, Anne. We have places to go." He stepped to the chair and paused as the sergeant took the chair's controls. He raised an eyebrow and the sergeant shook his head.

"Orders, sir." The Gunny said with a nod. "You are senior."

"Sergeant, the day a _naval lieutenant_ outstrips a Marine _Gunnery Sergeant_ is the day I hope the universe _implodes_ from the sheer _stupidity_." Mitchell said with a snort that Mitral shared. "I was a _lieutenant_. No more." The Gunny didn't outwardly react, but his eyes did twinkle.

"You were commissioned, sir." Miguel said firmly. "Oh, and… your rank isn't right." Mitchell stared at him but the sergeant shook his head. "We are on a schedule, sir."

"I wish you all would tell me where we were going." Mitchell said as he started off, the chair and Miguel following. "You all must love your secrecy. You didn't even tell Mitral where his kin went." The cat was looking at Miguel speculatively and Mitchell looked at the small calico form. "Mitral?"

"Nothing." The cat said quickly. Too quickly.

"Mitral." Mitchell protested.

"Pretty cat." Anne said softly. Mitral looked at Mitchel and then quickly jumped from Mitchell's arms to Anne's lap, sitting and purring. Anne smiled, but it was a bit lost. "Cat." She petted Mitral who curled up in her lap.

Mitchell was shaking his head as they moved into a room he didn't recognize. It seemed…familiar, but he hadn't been in it in the dojo before. Amelia stopped at the door. Miguel guided the chair into the middle of the room and Mitchell moved to stand by it. He looked around, but there was only one entrance. He looked closer and went still as he saw familiar markings.

"Sergeant…" Mitchell said slowly. "Is it my imagination, or is this a portal room?"

"It's a portal room, sir." The Gunny replied evenly, settling himself to parade rest behind the chair.

"And… where are we going?" Mitchell asked as the walls lit up. He didn't move. Quantum entanglement portals had always creeped him out. Irrational, he knew, but he had a deathly fear of having his molecules scrambled across space and time.

Then the world changed around him and he stared at the scenery. It was familiar. And _impossible_.

The large Orokin style room had a raised dais on one side. Many beings, some in warframes and others in golden uniforms, stood around, many at attention. But it was the woman with the glowing crown that took all of his attention. Li sat in a wheeled chair near the portal. The woman wearing the crown of Orokin nodded to a Tenno who stood by her. The female Tenno spoke sharply.

"Diamondbacks, arriving! Present Arms!"

Every military person in the room saluted. Every Tenno, every other being in uniform. Then… The Empress did.

"I… No…" Mitchell stammered. "I am just…"

"You are out of order, Lieutenant Commander Mitchell. We give honor where it is due." The Empress said calmly. Mitchell stared at her and then slowly returned her salute and then quickly dropped it. Li moved her chair to sit by Anne as the Gunnery Sergeant stepped away. The Empress nodded as she lowered her own hand and all the others. "Welcome to Avalon, Diamondbacks."

* * *

**Elsewhere**

"We had them." The Corpus clergywoman said sadly. "We had them in our _hands_! Actual living breathing relics of Orokin and we _lost_ them!" The crack of a whip against flesh was heard, but no sound of pain came. "Again." The whip cracked again.

"The Board is not happy, Reverend Mother." A male voice said sternly.

"The _Board_ is directly responsible for this mess." The Reverend Mother snapped. "If they had _listened_… but no… they had to shore up their fracking _profits_... Now we have neither the ship, the survivors, their genetic material _nor_ that cat. Relics of Orokin _lost_ so that the _Board_ could spit in our faces. Well done, I say. Well done indeed."

"We will find them, Reverend Mother." He was not expecting the woman to laugh.

"You couldn't find your _butt_ with both hands and a map, Frohd Bek." The woman said with icy calm. "You can't even control your own _son_."

"This is not about _my_ failures." The Board member said sternly. "It is about _yours_."

"Yes, it was a failure. Due in no small part to the Board's incompetence and idiocy. Darvo had the right idea. Run the hell away. I have seen Board members come and go, Frohd Bek." The Reverend Mother said with snap. "Do your worst. You cannot remove me. And your pawn Charliz suffered a misfortune."

"You will pay, you insolent wench." The channel cut and the Reverend Mother sighed.

"Enough Janet." The woman behind her laid the whip down and picked up wet cloths. "I am all right, Janet." She waved the woman away when Janet would have tended the whip marks on the old woman's back.

"I am sorry, Reverend Mother." Janet said sadly. "I thought we had him."

"We underestimated him." The old clergy woman shook her head. "We won't again. Pieces are in motion now. We must be ready." She patted Janet's hand. "Get some rest, Dear. It's going to be rough when the Board gets over their collective apoplexy." Janet hugged the old woman and then left the room quickly. Only when she was gone did the Reverend Mother hit controls sealing the room and activating the absolute best anti-surveillance devices that the Corpus could afford. Only then did the Reverend Mother, leader of the Corpus Clergy, smile as she spoke in her mind.

_Is he okay?_ She asked the air. _I tried not to hurt him. I tried… I really tried… And Anne… that poor girl…_

_They are fine. As secure as they can be._ A female voice answered her. _Well played. The Board have no idea._

_Self-serving shortsighted fanatical idiots._ The Reverend Mother said sharply. _Any__ of those would be bad enough…. But __all__ together? I fear for us. I fear for us __all__. If the Grineer push the Board too far…_

_We will just have to make sure the Grineer suffer a few reversals now as well. I will be watching__._

_I will set more pieces in place._ _Humanity __must__ survive._ The Reverend Mother said with a sigh. _We could have used Mitchell and Anne, -even that cat- but you were right. This way is better, the Board won't see us as dangerous. Better for all of us if they don't see us as a credible threat until it is too late for them to screw things up__.__ May that day come soon._

_Indeed__._ The Lotus replied and then was gone.

"We will survive." The old clergywoman said as she knelt in front of her private altar. "We have to."

She sighed. It was so hard, what she had to do. No one else could do it, so she had to. But… it was so hard. She started a prayer that her mother had taught her. That her mother had been taught by _her_ mother, passed down through uncounted ages from a single broken survivor of a cloister destroyed by man's greed.

_Our Father, who art in heaven…_


End file.
